


Bittersweet

by LightningSupernova



Series: 7 [4]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Blood and Injury, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2019-04-07 09:57:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14078367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightningSupernova/pseuds/LightningSupernova
Summary: In this last installment of the 7 series, Djinn and Lena continue to build a life together when they hit a potential snag. Kara starts to realise what she might have lost. Alex and Maggie are in a bad place, still dealing with the fall-out of Alex's injury. CADMUS is still up to no good. And the Noor have come to Earth in search of their former commander.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story will be the last one in my ‘7' series. You need to have read the rest or this just won’t make any sense (part 2 is optional … as that was just an excuse to write some smut!). 
> 
> Like the rest of the series, it’s very OC centered, yet I hope I have managed to capture the essence of the regular cast. 
> 
> As always, beware of angst and fluff, hurt/comfort, violence, etc. There will be Sanvers, of course, and OC/Lena Luthor … BUT … And that's a big, really big but (spoiler!!) … I will be heading to SuperCorp endgame … Don’t expect it to be quick and easy though. Everyone will go through the wringer in this story … If needed, I’ll add in some warnings per chapter as I go.
> 
> Thanks to Rebellion_Bear for the clean-up!
> 
> This story is finished up until chapter 8 and will have 10 or so chapters in total. I will post one chapter each week on saturday or sunday. Hopefully, I'll have it completely finished in a month or two.

“What do you mean, I can’t marry her?” 

 

Alex sighed and looked over her computer screen at her friend sprawled upside down on the couch in her office. “First, congratulations … Second, you’re still a refugee. Until you become an official citizen of Earth, you can’t marry her.” She couldn't quite fight the grin spreading on her face, as she watched the antics of the former stoic warrior. Being with Lena was good for her friend, it brought out her playful and gentle side.

 

Djinn placed the sketch pad she was holding on the table and tumbled down off the couch, not so gracefully regaining her footing with a mock bow. She grinned when she got Alex to laugh. Her friend didn’t laugh nearly enough lately.

 

Six months had passed since Alex died ... and Djinn brought her back. And, although the redhead was back at work with the DEO, she still wasn’t back to her old self. J’onn wouldn’t let her out in the field yet so she was still restricted to her lab and, as a result of her recent promotion, to her office. 

 

Djinn sat back down on the couch, the right way up this time, and took her sketch pad to continue the design of her latest engine. “So … How’s Mags?” She asked carefully, remembering how worried Kara sounded last night when she came over for dinner. 

 

Alex tried to smile but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Maggie’s fine, great … Busy at work.” She saw Djinn lift an eyebrow and sighed, “Things are … a little strained,“ she admitted, the first time she said that out loud. “A lot … strained.” 

 

“Wanna talk about if?” Djinn placed her pad back down and walked around the desk, crouching next to Alex, who turned her chair to face her.

 

Alex sighed deeply, “It’s my fault, really … I haven’t been the same since … you know … Everyone is being so patient, Maggie the most. But I can’t help it … and … And I think she’s leaving me.” Her voice was breaking and she closed her eyes to stop the tears from falling. “Can’t say I blame her.” Alex’s recovery hadn’t gone exactly as planned, with her still feeling worn down and tired all the time. Alex didn’t handle her own shortcomings well … getting angry and depressed. Even the mandatory DEO shrink was quick to put her under the PTSD label … Not that Alex would admit that to anyone, certainly not herself. 

 

And so Alex was putting a lot of stress on her girlfriend.

 

Djinn pulled her into a hug, trailing her fingers through her hair, trying to offer as much comfort as she could. Alex burrowed her face in Djinn’s neck and allowed herself to cry. 

 

After she felt Alex calm down, she offered her a moment to compose herself before pulling back and looking into red-rimmed eyes. “Do you still love her?” Alex nodded and nearly broke down again, “Then talk to her. Both of you are very stubborn … But don’t give up on this, Alex, not without a fight.” She glanced up at the clock, remembering the appointment she had. She stood, pulling Alex up with her, and engulfed her in a tight hug. She closed her eyes for a moment and felt the connection the two still had, almost like the same heart beat in both their chests. It wasn’t the first time Djinn wondered if this was what the Healers of old felt whenever they brought someone back from the brink of death. “Will you be ok?” she asked Alex. “I’ll stay if you need me.” 

 

Alex stepped out of the embrace and shook her head, “No, I’ll be fine.” She gave Djinn a small smile, actually feeling a little better now that she’d gotten everything out. “You have reporters to charm.”

 

“Ok,” Djinn stepped back and retrieved her sketch pad. “Call if you need me, anytime.” She waited for Alex’s nod before disappearing in a purple flash. 

 

Alex took a deep breath and ran a hand over her face, rubbing away the tear tracks. She sat back down at her desk and returned to work, the conversation she needed to have with her girlfriend weighing heavy on her mind. 

 

Djinn reappeared in one of the more rundown areas of the city, in front of the building L-Corp had recently bought, ready to be made into a shelter. It would be the second shelter Lena had started, the first had been up and running for four months. They had called it Haven, and it was a success. Though it started out as a shelter for unregistered aliens, it didn’t turn away humans in need, and in a short time had turned into a melting pot of species and cultures. 

 

Camera’s started flashing as she made her way to the rusty front door, waving and smiling at the reporters just as Lena had taught her. Her girlfriend was stuck in a meeting, so Djinn just had to suck it up and do this. She walked over to a group of men in work gear waiting to get started at the renovations and took a sledgehammer from one of them. She lifted it in the air and faced the press, “Let’s start building!” She smashed the remains of the old door off its hinges. The group all cheered as they made their way inside.

 

Placing the hammer down against the wall, Djinn chuckled. It was Kara’s idea really, to show off her strength, making a statement. She was an alien, a powerful one, and she was doing all she could to help her city. Out in the open, no secret identities. That was something Supergirl could never do. 

 

She took a deep breath and moved toward the press, winking at Kara, who would be getting a full interview later on. “Thank you all for coming. In one month’s time, this will become Second Haven, a shelter for everyone in need of one. Human or alien alike. I will take some questions ...” Dozens of hands shot in the air.

 

For the next fifteen minutes, Djinn was being bombarded with questions, mostly about her alien heritage and how that mixed with a Luthor’s agenda. The first time a reporter asked her that, she nearly choked the man, but a lot of talking with Lena helped her deflect them and parry with a positive message. And an article Kara did on them for CatCo slowed it down somewhat, or made the questions less venomous anyway. She sighed as the questions kept coming, it would prove to be a long afternoon.

 

* * *

  
  


With a small box under her arms, Lena walked through the lobby at CatCo, her last stop before going home. She rode the elevator to the correct floor and strolled into James’ office. The big man looked up, a smile on his face, “Lena! … What a surprise.” He stood and walked around his desk, engulfing the CEO in a hug. They had gotten closer these past months. Game nights at the Danvers’ had a lot to do with that. “Kara should still be at her desk,” he started, figuring Lena was here to see her. 

 

Lena shook her head, “No, I’m not here for Kara actually. I’m here to see you.” She handed him the box, and James raised an eyebrow. He sat down on the couch, motioning for Lena to do the same. He put the box on his lap and opened it, his eyes widening when he took out a small camera. “L-Corp releasing a new camera line or something?” he asked, checking out the features of the device. Lena chuckled, “I might … It’s vigilante proof.” James frowned and Lena explained further. “I created a new alloy … thin, light and practically unbreakable … I thought it would be perfect for a camera for Guardian. That way you can reveal more about what you and the other vigilantes are doing out there … Without having to worry about smashing your camera.”

 

James had a twinkle in his eyes, already imagining what he could do with it. He’d have Winn design a place for it in his suit. “Thank you, Lena. Really!” Lena smiled at him and stood, “It’s my way of saying thanks … for everything you do as Guardian.” That rendered the big man speechless. She touched him on the shoulder and turned, sauntering out of the room. Jame’s eyes followed her out, a soft smile on his lips. Then he focused back on the camera, lifting it to his eye. He couldn’t wait to get started.

 

* * *

  
  


A large spaceship came out of hyperspace and neared the blue planet. At the controls sat a man in faded red clothing, reading the info on his screens. 

 

“Are you sure it originated from here?” A woman asked and the man turned to look at his superior officer. “Yes Commander … This looks like a viable planet, rich in resources. Heavily populated.” 

 

The woman nodded and looked at the other men and women in the room. “I propose we send out scouting parties. Taking care not to be seen.” 

 

One man raised his hand and the woman nodded, allowing him to speak. “We do not know if she’s even alive, let alone held here against her will.” 

 

“We’ll find out soon enough … What we do know is that after almost a century of silence, we finally found a trace of her, and it’s here on this planet. We owe it to her and to our people to at least investigate.” The woman spoke passionately. She was young, too young to remember her. In fact, she wasn't even born when the one they sought had disappeared. But the stories she heard, of this Hero … The woman believed she was the only chance her people had of survival. 

 

The man huffed, “Who gave you command anyway? … Just because you’re from the right family … Cadash … pfff.” 

 

Cadash, Linn Cadash, frowned, “No one gave me command, Harding … I took it. If I hadn't my father would have wiped us all out by now.” The rest of the people in the room nodded in agreement. Harding threw up his hands in surrender. “Besides, I won’t be in command long. If our hunch is correct, we’ll find her on this planet. She is our rightful Queen.” She looked around the room at the strange mix of allies she managed to scrounge up for this mission. 

 

Some of them were Noor, like herself, others were Hatok, though these Hatok didn’t call themselves that anymore. They were no longer servants. She looked in the gentle brown eyes of the man standing next to her, the former Hatok who convinced her that the old ways had to change. He placed a hand on the small of her back in silent support and she took a deep breath, “I will go down to the planet myself, with Rowan and two others. Give us four days. If we haven’t found anything by then, we’ll return to the ship … And abort the mission.” She couldn’t imagine that happening because it would mean defeat. 

 

Everyone, even Harding, understood their role in that plan and the group dispersed. Linn took Rowan’s hand and they returned to their cabin. They had to prepare for the mission.

 

 

* * *

  
  


Lena entered her penthouse with a weary sigh and absently tossed her keys on the counter. She heard the soft jazzy music from the living room and a smile slipped across her lips. Over the past few months, she’d gotten quite used to coming home with someone waiting. It made her feel all fuzzy inside, Lena hadn’t ever dared to think something like this would be in her future. She leaned against the wall and slipped off her stilettos, sighing when her bare feet hit the carpet. Making her way to the living room, she undid her hair, letting it fall free past her shoulders. She paused at the sight that greeted her, giving herself a few minutes to just watch the enigma that currently sat on her couch. 

 

Oblivious to her girlfriend entering, Djinn focused on the sketch pad in her lap. Her charcoal pencil flew over the paper, lifting every once in while to let her smooth out a line with her fingers. Black smudges were on her cheek where Djinn had absently scratched with her dirty hands. She had another pencil between her teeth, swaying with the soft notes of the music. Lena thought it was the cutest thing she had ever seen. Her lover was still ‘badass,’ as Kara (or Alex or Maggie or even Winn) would call it, but this mellow, gentle side was showing through more and more, and Lena adored it. Seven was like that, the woman she first fell for, back when she had no memories of her life before. With the return of her memories, Seven became Djinn. Hardened, cold … though only for a little while. The more time passed, the more the two personas became one being. 

 

She must have made a sound, because when she looked back up, she saw dark blue eyes focused on her, twinkling. Lena smiled and moved closer, looking over Djinn’s shoulder at the sketches. “Wow,” she gasped. It was a beautiful charcoal portrait of a man, staring up at her from the paper. Several other portraits littered the couch and table. “Where did you learn this?” Sketching engines was one thing, this was truly art.

 

Djinn shrugged, “YouTube.” 

 

It took Lena a moment for the simple comment to sink in, then she just chuckled. “You know, some people might get a little envious of how fast you learn things.” She dropped down next to Djinn and wiped at the charcoal stains on her face before planting a kiss on her lips. She looked at the drawing, “So … Who is this handsome man?” 

 

“My brother,” Djinn said with a sad sigh. “His name was Caiden. He- he died in my arms.” She reached for another drawing, this one of an older man. “This was my father, King Cailen. He was old and sick when I … disappeared … So he’s probably dead too.” She gave Lena a smile when she reached out to squeeze her shoulder. Lena took the drawing and placed it on the table, along with the others. She paused when she saw one of a rather cute woman and smirked when she showed it to her suddenly blushing lover. “Do you always draw your ex-lovers?”

 

Djinn took her arm and pulled Lena into her lap, “I’d rather start drawing my current lover.” Her breathing hitched when Lena kissed her, humming when their tongues met. She took Lena’s bottom lip between her teeth, nipping at it playfully. “I have an idea … I can start with my next drawing lessons.” Her hands slipped under Lena’s shirt to the clasp of her bra. “It’s nudes …” She moved her fingers up under Lena’s bra, feeling hard nipples in the palm of her hands. Lena started to chuckle but ended in a moan with Djinn’s caresses, “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Her hands covered Djinn’s, keeping them in place, “You’ll need a lot of anatomy study.” 

 

“Thank the Maker I have found a willing subject then,” Djinn replied, smirking as she kissed Lena again. 

 

It would be the last words spoken between them for a while ...

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

The sun had already set when Kara looked up from her computer screen at her desk in CatCo. She lifted her glasses, rubbing at her eyes, glad that she finally finished the edit of her article on the opening of Second Haven. Snapper had it in for her these past days, she just hoped this would be enough to get him to back off … for a little while at least. 

 

She had enough problems of her own. Her sister, being one. Kara had hoped Alex would have broken out of the funk she’d been in since the shooting by now. Then there was Mon-El, who Kara realised she didn’t really love but just stayed with out of comfort. And then there were Djinn and Lena. 

 

That was something else altogether, something Kara didn’t quite understand herself. She was happy for them, truly. But then she had dinner with them two nights ago and she had trouble eating, finding the two of them suddenly sickeningly cute. And Kara realised something. She was jealous. And, watching Lena flirt with Djinn, she realised something else. Before it all, Lena flirted with her ... a lot. Kara just never noticed it, being too engrossed in Mon-El.

 

She groaned and dropped her head on her desk several times. How can she be so good at being Supergirl, but suck at being Kara Danvers? With a sigh, she shut down her computer and stretched in her chair. Deciding to stop the self pity, her mind went to food … as it usually does. Indian? Pizza? Chinese …. ooh potstickers. Mind made up, Kara took her phone to call her favorite restaurant. It started flashing before she could dial and Kara groaned when the name ‘Mike’ flashed on her screen. She wasn’t ready to deal with her ex-boyfriend yet. But Kara being Kara, she picked up anyway, “Hi Mon-El.”

 

“Hey Kara … Listen, I need you to come here to the bar.” If Kara had been a regular human, there was no way she could hear him above the noise of a busy night at the alien bar. “Look, Mon-El.” She started, not feeling like spending an evening with the man. 

 

“It’s not for me,” He quickly said with a sigh. They officially broke up last month, but it had been a long time coming and, though he still cared about Kara, even he had to admit that they were growing apart. “It’s your sisters’ girlfriend. She’s hanging here, beyond drunk … For a human anyway.” 

 

Kara frowned, that didn’t sound like Maggie. Sure, the detective (and her sister for that matter) didn’t shy away from the alcohol, but for Mon-El to call Kara sounding worried (or as worried as he’ll ever be), it had to be serious. “I’m on my way.” She said and disconnected. She checked the area to make sure she didn’t forget anything and everything was locked down, before leaving the room and the building. She waved at the night shift cleaning guy and walked out of the lobby, ducking into an alley and, after a quick check to see she wouldn’t be spotted, flew off.  

 

She landed a few moments later across from the alien bar and shoved her glasses back on her nose. Smoothing out her hair and her clothes, she crossed the street and entered the bar. It was crowded tonight and Kara had to weave between patrons, giving several she recognised a smile or a wave. She saw Mon-El behind the bar and made a beeline for him. He pointed to the other side of the bar where Kara saw the slumped form of the detective. “Thanks for calling,” she told him, moving close to be heard. He gave her one of his boyish smiles, “It’s nothing. You know, Maggie’s been here a lot lately. She ok?” Kara just shrugged. “Anyway … She’s like totally out of it now, so I thought I’d better call someone … And Alex might not be such a good idea at this point.” Besides, even half-dead Alex still scared the crap out of him. 

 

Kara gave him a smile in thanks before going to the detective. Maggie was still nursing an empty glass of scotch, the remaining ice cubes clinking against each other as she rolled her glass, unfocused dark eyes watching them melt. Her head was lying on her arm, slumped on the bar. Kara sighed as she sat down on the barstool next to her. It took Maggie unusually long to notice her, making Kara even more worried, but she finally lifted her head to look beside her, “Hey, Little D.” She found Danvers too painful to say right now. “Someone called in the cavalry?” Mon-El had cut off her booze earlier. She should have guessed he’d call someone. She sat up straighter, frowning when her world started to sway, only Kara grabbing her by the shoulder kept her in the chair. “Hmm … I might have had a bit much,” she slurred, having lost count many drinks ago. “I’m taking you home,” Kara stood, supporting Maggie. But the woman protested weakly, “I don’t wanna go home … I’m fine.” Still, she allowed herself to be half-carried out of the bar. Kara met Mon-El’s eyes across the room and gave a nod in thanks. 

 

As they made it back into the fresh air, Maggie pulled herself loose. “Thanks, but I’m fine, really.” She took a couple of unsteady steps towards her truck. Kara grabbed her by the arm, “If you think I’m letting you drive like this.” Maggie turned, swaying and looking at Kara with angry eyes, “I’m plastered, not an idiot … I’m crashing there.” It wasn’t the first time Maggie would sleep in her truck. Hell, she practically lived there when her father kicked her out of the house all those years ago.

 

Kara took a deep breath, “I’m not leaving you alone in this state. If you don’t want to go home, fine. Then you’re crashing at my place.” Maggie visibly deflated and allowed Kara to pull her to her side. She led them off the street and wasted no time in flying them to Kara’s apartment. She landed on her balcony, Maggie in her arms, and walked inside, placing the detective on her couch. She kept holding her though, thinking of the hot tears she had felt against her neck during flight. 

 

Maggie moved away after a few moments. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, wiping at her face. Kara gave her a sad smile and helped her lay down. “It’s ok.” She took the blanket from the back of the couch and covered Maggie up. Maggie took a shaky breath and closed her eyes, falling into unconsciousness almost immediately.

 

Kara stood and went into her kitchen to grab a bucket, putting it next to the couch, just to be safe. She gazed at the sleeping detective for a moment longer, sighing, before retreating to her bedroom and taking her phone. She dialed Alex. 

 

“Hey Kara, what’s up?” Alex sounded tired, but then again, she always did lately. 

 

“Hey Alex, are you home yet?” She didn’t want to worry her sister, especially if she was still at the DEO.

 

Alex sat on her couch in front of the TV, sipping a beer, “Yeah … Took the night off.” She glanced at the dining table, fully set for the dinner she’d cooked. “Waiting for Mags to get here.” She heard Kara’s sharp inhale, “Anything wrong?”

 

Kara pinched the bridge of her nose, deciding to get it over with, “Maggie’s here,” she started, “passed out on my couch.” She heard Alex shifting on the couch, probably ready to jump out of the door and go there, “She’s fine … I think … She’s wasted.”

 

That made Alex drop back on the couch, “She went out drinking?” She’d sent Maggie a message earlier asking her to come home after work. That she would cook them dinner and they could talk. But her girlfriend decided to drink herself stupid instead. 

 

“Yeah …” Kara hesitated, “You two really need to talk.”

 

Alex sighed, “I know … I’m trying. Look, just make sure she doesn’t have alcohol poisoning or anything, ok?” Maggie could hold her liquor, so for her to get wasted meant she had a lot. 

 

“Of course I will. She’s my friend too, you know?!” Kara couldn’t believe her sister just asked that. 

 

“I know, I’m sorry … Just … I’ll call you in the morning, ok?”

 

Kara sighed, her sister sounded so sad, “Ok … Alex? … I love you.” She hung up the phone and returned to the living room, preparing to raid her fridge and watch over her friend. 

 

“I love you, too, Kara.” Alex gave a watery smile and disconnected the call. She stood and walked to the kitchen, taking out several containers. She ignored the tears running down her cheek as she packed away the food.

 

* * *

  
  


Sometime during the night, Djinn started dreaming. Nothing out of the ordinary, sure, as dreams and nightmares were an inseparable part of her life. But these were different and after only a few moments, Djinn sat up with a gasp. She looked to her side and was relieved when Lena only mumbled something before drifting away again. Djinn hated waking her up.

 

She slipped out of bed and padded out of the room to the kitchen. Her breathing was still laboured and she took a glass, filling it with water from the tap and downed it in one gulp, trying to calm herself down. She refilled her glass and took it with her to the balcony.

 

Djinn leaned her arms on the railing and stared into the distance for a while, thinking. These dreams … she’d been having them for a week or two now and they were finally starting to make sense. Though they both angered and saddened her.

 

The Calling, they named it … 

 

Djinn shook her head, she was too young to be already having it … 

 

Barely 300 and her life was about to end.

 

Djinn started to shiver, the cold air having finally cooled her bare skin. She wasn’t shy about her nakedness, besides, the only one who could possibly spot her this high up was Supergirl and making the blonde blush would be worth it.

 

She finished her water and moved back inside, leaving her glass on the kitchen counter. Silently, she went back to the bedroom and slipped next to her girlfriend between the sheets. Lena scooted closer, tucking herself against her lover. “You’re cold,” she mumbled, still half asleep. 

 

“I’m fine. You’ll warm me right back up … Go back to sleep,” Djinn trailed her hand through Lena’s hair, a soft smile on her face as Lena sighed, dozing off once more.

 

Sleep didn’t come for Djinn for a while, her mind busy processing. She gazed at Lena, marvelling at her beauty, looking so innocent and peaceful in sleep. She knew she needed to tell Lena, to prepare her for the inevitable. And she needed to do that soon. 

 

With a heavy heart, Djinn closed her eyes.

 

* * *

  
  


Linn Cadash opened the door of her small pod and stepped out, her feet touching the ground of planet Earth for the first time. Her husband, Rowan, followed quickly, stumbling when the gravity hit him. Linn smiled at him and watched the two others, two young men who looked eerily alike, get out of the ship. One of them held up a remote and pressed a switch, causing the pod to shimmer and cloak, vanishing from sight. 

 

Taking in her surroundings, Linn decided the best course of action. They had landed in a field with no sign of civilisation in sight. “Wing, Wei … Stay with the ship. Keep out of sight.” The two brothers nodded, hefting big guns on their shoulders. As former Hatok, they had no powers of their own, but the engineers had been designing and building guns since they could walk. Linn’s ship was safe in their hands.

 

Linn held up a small scanner, “We are close to where we last picked up the signal … It’s somewhere in that big city to the West.” She started walking, Rowan behind her.

 

* * *

  
  


At the DEO, the night shift was in full swing. Agent Anders, a young man recently promoted to his position at the main desk, noticed the incoming alarm. He frowned when typing away at his computer. After a few minutes of studying the readouts, he decided to call his superior officer. “Director Henshaw? I’m sorry to disturb you at this hour sir, but I think there’s something you need to see.”

 

* * *

  
  


“It’s a ship,” Kara said, looking at the satellite images while trying to suppress a yawn, “Why did I have to come in at the crack of dawn to look at a ship?” To say Kara was cranky was an understatement. She’s been up half the night watching over Maggie, but must have dozed off sometime. When she woke up, the sneaky detective had disappeared, leaving just a note with ‘Thanks’ on her table. Then she got J’onn’s call.

 

The Martian lifted an eyebrow and eyed her, “Have you seen ships like that before?” Kara wiped the sleep out of her eyes and took a closer look. Her first thought was no, but then she noticed the sleek lines of the ship, the slight depression in the sides. “It looks a bit like Djinn’s.” The implications of that started to sink in, “Oh no …” She looked up at J’onn, “We need to call her in.” J’onn couldn’t agree more.

 

* * *

  
  


Djinn groaned when the ringing of her telephone broke her out of sleep after only a few hours of it. She felt so comfortable and warm, lying on her stomach, naked, with her also very naked girlfriend pressed against her back. “Your phone,” she heard Lena mumble. Djinn tried her hardest not to move as she groped across the nightstand where she usually kept it for the night. She groaned again when she came up empty, realising it was probably still in the pocket of her jeans, wherever they ended up last night. For a moment, she just hoped the ringing would stop, but whoever it was, they were persistent. Finally, she gave in and slipped from underneath Lena. She found her pants just inside the bedroom door and took her annoying phone out of the pocket. “Do you know what time it is?!” She growled into it, not really caring who was at the other end. “Oh … Hi J’onn …” She looked at Lena, now sitting up in bed, listening. “Ok. I’m coming in.” She sighed while disconnecting.

 

“Trouble?” Lena asked, pulling the sheets up her body, getting chilly alone in the bed. Djinn shrugged, “Don’t know … J’onn just wants me there. Needs to show me something.” She walked to the closet and took some fresh undies, jeans and a black shirt. “I’ll let you know.” 

 

Once dressed, she leaned down and caught Lena’s lips in a heated kiss. The tall woman moaned as Lena bit her lower lip and then pulled back, “Maker … I wish I didn’t have to go.” Lena chuckled, “Go … I’ll be heading to the office. Come find me there.” Placing one last peck on her lips, Djinn teleported to the front door to grab her boots and then vanished to the DEO.

 

Djinn appeared next to J’onn, who didn’t even flinch, just the raise of his eyebrow showed annoyance. “You know I don’t like you teleporting in and out of this base,” the tone of his voice was reprimanding, but Djinn could detect a hidden smile in there. She just smirked at him, “I thought it was important. Why else risk waking a Noor from her beauty sleep. People got killed for less! Especially when said Noor was wrapped around a beautiful naked woman.”

 

Kara turned red at that mental image (even J’onn winced for a moment, as he got more than just an image) and cleared her throat, stepping back towards her. Djinn just laughed, until Kara slugged her in the shoulder, not holding back much of her strength.

 

“Ow, Kara … That actually hurt.” Djinn rubbed her shoulder and scowled at the blonde, who crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You deserved that, Sev!” Kara was the only one who still referred to her as Seven, turned it into a nickname of sorts. 

 

J’onn stepped between the two, “If the two of you can stop behaving like children for a moment … We might have a situation here.” Djinn rubbed the back of her neck, while Kara shuffled her feet, “Sorry J’onn,” they said at the same time, the tall woman winking at Kara behind his back. Djinn chuckled a bit more, before finally settling down, “Really, sorry J’onn. What is it you wanted to show me?”

 

“There is a ship in Earth's orbit … I’m hoping you can pinpoint its origins. Assess if it could pose a threat.” J’onn called up the satellite image on the screen.

 

Djinn frowned when her eye caught the ship and she moved closer to see it better. She fell silent, her face going pale and her expression hardened. “Where was this taken?” she asked in an even voice.

 

“It’s partly hidden behind our moon. We don’t know how long it’s been there. An agent from the graveyard shift picked it up … It's a wonder he did.” Kara stepped next to Djinn. “It’s Noor isn’t it?” she asked. Djinn’s nod gave the answer. 

 

“It’s The Juggernaut … Mark Two combat vessel … A small ship, old ... caries maybe two hundred soldiers, no machines.” Djinn frowned, “It shouldn’t be here alone. Are you sure there’s no other ship in the area?” She looked at J’onn.

 

“I had this entire system scanned … Nothing.”

 

“It doesn’t make any sense … Has it tried to contact us?” J’onn shook his head. “Then it has to be on a reconnaissance mission. In front of the main fleet.” This was bad, really bad. Djinn knew that a planet like Earth would be impossible to resist for the Noor. She’d just have to make them reconsider. “I need my ship … Call in Winn. If I can get my communications back online, I can hail them.” She ran to the door. 

 

“Will they listen to you?!” Kara called out. Djinn looked back and Kara was surprised by the anger lurking in her eyes, “I’m still a Cadash … So they’d better.” She left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Linn and Rowan looked at their surroundings in awe as they walked through National City. They had covered their clothes and armor with a cloak, but other then a few curious looks, they didn’t draw attention. Linn looked at her scanner, frowned and hit it a few times against her leg, “Damn thing won’t get a clear signal.” Her husband shrugged, “Probably a lot of data in this city. They must be interfering with ours.” 

 

“Then how do you propose we find her? Have you seen the size of this city?!”

 

Rowan sighed, “Even if we could track the signal, it’s not certain she’ll be with her ship.” He tried to ground Linn, to stop her from getting hopes up to much. Chances of them succeeding were slim. After all, the woman they were looking for disappeared almost a century ago. But his wife was stubborn and convinced that this was the only way to save her people. Rowan was not however.

 

“She has to be … That ship was bioengineered to react only to her touch, to send out a distress signal only when it registers its pilot.” Linn shook her head, barely noticing where she was going. She spotted something out of the corner of her eye, a small cart filled with paper. Some sort of shop perhaps? With gazettes or other publishments? She froze when her eye fell on one picture, Rowan colliding against her back. “Linn,” the man sighed, but followed Linn’s gaze. It was a picture of a tall woman holding a sledgehammer, the headlines read ‘Djinn Cadash and Lena Luthor opening new shelter, by Kara Danvers’.

 

“Unbelievable,” Rowan sighed, “She’s not even hiding.” Linn just smiled.

 

* * *

  
  


“Damn you, by the Maker, damn you!” Djinn cursed when the circuit burned through once more. She slammed her hand in the console of her ship, tearing up her knuckles in the process. Startled, Winn poked his head out from underneath. “Not helping,” he quipped, but put his head down again to avoid Djinn’s angry glare as she wiped her bloody knuckles on her shirt. 

 

“Stop scaring the boy,” Alex sat on the other side, tablet in her lap, connected to the ship’s systems. “It’s not his fault this thing is ancient.” She had arrived with Winn, both called upon by J’onn to help fix the ship’s communications. But this was one battle they might lose.

 

Djinn mumbled an apology to Winn, “It was brand new when I came here. Didn’t plan on staying for 90 years.” She sighed, “I think it’s time we call it quits. Besides, I need to hit something. Preferably something that hits back.” She was getting frustrated, too much for this kind of work, and she needed to call Lena. 

 

Alex nodded, “You do that. I’m gonna stay a bit longer, run another diagnostic.” And evade my sister … She didn’t say that last part out loud. Winn crawled from under the dashboard, “I’ll see if I can be of help upstairs, ok?” When Alex nodded, he climbed out of the ship.

 

Stopping next to Alex on her way out, Djinn placed a hand on her shoulder, “You know where I am if you want to talk alright?” Alex gave her a grateful smile, thankful Djinn would let her be, for now. Djinn followed Winn out of the ship.

 

* * *

  
  


After making a call to Lena, explaining the situation as best as she could and promising she’ll be careful, Djinn made her way to the balcony, where Supergirl stood staring into the distance. She leaned her elbows on the railing next to her, “You ok?” Kara had seemed a bit off lately. 

 

Kara took a deep breath but remained silent. She wanted to tell everything, seek guidance. In the past, she’d go to her sister for advice. But Alex was avoiding her—no surprise—Alex never dealt with her own emotions well. Djinn was filling in the gap as a sister. They played and joked around, and Kara felt she could talk to her, like serious sisterly talk. But Kara couldn’t just tell her that she was falling for her girlfriend right? Or better, had fallen long ago but just now realised it. “It’s this whole situation with Alex and Maggie … And Mon-El.”

 

Djinn sighed, “You know … I always wondered what you saw in that guy. I mean, he’s good looking ... for a man … And he’s from a similar background. But I never understood the whole man-boy thing. Is that appealing to all straight women of this planet?” She arched an eyebrow, hiding a grin when Kara choked on some saliva. 

 

Kara hesitated, before mumbling, “I’m not completely straight.” She closed her eyes and hung her head. Djinn placed a hand on top of Karra’s on the railing, “I thought as much.” Kara whipped her head up, looking at her with wide confused eyes, “How did you ...” Giving her a half grin, Djinn shrugged. “You have that look in your eyes.” She sighed, “She’s hard to resist isn’t she?” She turned her gaze back to the distance. 

 

“You’re not mad?” Kara asked with a small voice after a few moments, there was no point in denying it. Djinn huffed, “Nah … I’m just sad. If I didn’t like you so much, I’d challenge you to a duel. That would fix the problem immediately. Now we have to deal with feelings.” She stood up and engulfed Kara in a hug, “I care for you, Kara … And so does Lena. That will never change.” She knew Lena more than just cared for the blonde. And strangely, Djinn found she didn’t mind. She pulled back, “Now, your sister and Maggie … that’s something else entirely.”

 

* * *

  
  


During their exploration of the city, Linn and Rowan stumbled upon an abandoned area, both staring in distaste at the mountain of trash. “These humans are filthy,” Rowan noted. Linn nodded in agreement, “At least this place is free of prying eyes. And it’s big enough to hide our pods.” Now that they had proof, Linn planned on calling backup. She took her comms, “Wing, Wei … Take the pod and meet us at our location. Cloak it.” She then called the main ship. “We found her. Bring down a second squad.”

 

* * *

  
  


Winn shouted out, “I got something!” Alex rolled her chair next to his, looking at his screen. “The dump … There’s way to much energy there.” Alex tapped her comms, “Guys, we have a major energy spike in the junkyard.” Djinn appeared next to her, and Kara followed seconds later. Winn pulled up all the security footage he could find from the area just as J’onn walked up to join them. 

 

“Wait … Go back there,” Djinn said, pointing at the footage from a traffic camera. Winn replayed it. “There!” She spotted the slight shimmer at the edge, “That’s a transport pod.” Winn brought up a map from the area, “It’s the street just next to the dump. Pretty abandoned. It’s a good landing site.”

 

“How do you want to handle this?” J’onn asked Djinn, letting her decide the best course of action. After all, she was best suited for this situation. 

 

“Let me go in first. Let me assess the situation. Who knows, they might even listen to me after all.” 

 

“What?! You can’t go in there alone,” Kara protested, looking extremely unhappy. Djinn shook her head, “We don’t know what to expect … And I won’t endanger any of you. I can just teleport back out if needed.” J’onn nodded, “Keep your comms open. And at the first sign of trouble, you get out.” Throwing a last look at her friends, Djinn vanished.

 

* * *

  
  


Maggie was getting a pretty bad feeling about this situation. She was moving through an alley, getting further and further away from the streets and civilisation, in pursuit of a murder suspect. The man was a known alien who supposedly murdered a sex worker last night. Maggie didn’t buy it though, since everyone she interviewed had called the man sweet and gentle. Wouldn’t hurt a fly, they said, though inhabitants of Braxa did actually eat flies … exclusively.

 

But still, the man was on the run and it was Maggie’s job to bring him in. Her partner, an older guy named Paco, had taken the other end of the street. Hopefully, they’d meet halfway, with the fugitive trapped somewhere in the middle. She rounded a corner, gun ready, and cursed. Her fugitive, easily recognisable by his green skin and ridges on his forehead, lay propped up against the wall, dead. Holstering her gun, Maggie crouched next to the body, checking out the wound on the man’s chest. It was charred around the edges, pointing to some sort of energy weapon. She was just about to call her partner when she heard a shuffle behind her and turned. She just had time to shout out in surprise as the metal fist slammed into her face. Maggie slumped to the ground, unconscious. Cyborg Superman grinned, that was far easier than expected.

 

* * *

  
  


After teleporting from building to building, Djinn reached the dump. She waited on top of the last tall building and looked down through a pair of binoculars. To the untrained eye, nothing was out of the ordinary, but Djinn knew what she was looking for. There was a slight anomaly in the lighting to the left of the shed, just a small speck where the falling sunlight didn’t sit right. She tapped her comms, “I see a pod … No scratch that, two pods … No sign of people though.”  

 

“Copy that, Agent Cadash. Proceed, but be careful,” J’onn replied and Djinn smiled. She wasn’t an agent any longer, she really hadn’t been one for long, but she still liked how that sounded. Maybe in the future, she wondered, she could be reinstated again. But it wasn't very likely, as she wasn’t meant to have much more future anyway if her dreams were a sign. 

 

She teleported toward the shed, crouching next to the entrance, and peeked inside. 

 

Several people stood around a couple of crates, acting as a makeshift table. Three of them were clearly Noor, as they stood a head taller than the others. They were arguing amongst each other and Djinn frowned. Normally, there was one supreme commander and his orders were carried out without question. She couldn’t quite understand the conversation, but saw the Noor woman point at something on the crates, it looked like a newspaper. Suddenly she froze and stood straight, holding up her hand to demand silence. Then, she looked at the door, straight at Djinn.

 

Djinn ducked back behind the door, but knew it was too late. It was like the woman had sensed her somehow. She cursed, having lost the element of surprise. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and readied herself for plan B, intimidation. 

 

As she opened her eyes and stood, her entire demeanor changed and energy crackled dangerously around her. She wasted no more time and teleported inside. Her angry, stormy eyes fell on the young woman who first spotted her. The woman was about as tall as Djinn herself, with slightly tanned skin, long blonde hair in a loose ponytail and dark blue eyes. Though the red uniform she wore under dull and worn plated armour was faded, it still screamed Noor to Djinn. “I am Djinn Cadash and I protect this world,” she kept her voice calm but the threat was unmistakingly there, “You will not take it!”

 

The woman frowned, “You are mistaken … We have no intention to harm this world.” Her voice was lyrical and gentle, so unlike the normal brute Noor that Djinn was taken aback. “Then why are you here?” 

 

“We came for you,” the woman almost sighed in relief. “I’m so happy we found you … or you found us. I’d hoped having enough energy here would catch your attention.” She pointed at the newspaper on the table where Djinn recognized her picture, “Since it doesn’t look like you’re being held here against your will.” She saw Djinn’s confusion and smiled, and the energy surrounding the older woman began to fade. “I am so very honored to finally meet you … We are honored,” she motioned at the men and women behind her. She took a step forward, “I am Linn Cadash.” 

 

Djinn’s eyes narrowed, whatever remains of her family isn’t exactly the nicest bunch in the galaxy. From behind Linn, one man walked closer and circled Djinn, who followed his movement closely with her head held high. He was light skinned with contrasting short dark hair and cropped beard. Finally, he stopped and looked at the others, “Remind me again why we went through all this trouble? Our ‘saviour’ doesn’t exactly look like much. Just another arrogant Noor.” 

 

“Rowan!” Linn yelled to halt his words, but it was too late, as Djinn grabbed the shorter man by the throat. She lifted him up to eye level, the man choking and clawing at her fingers. “If I was just another arrogant Noor, I would crush you like a bug, Hatok.” She released him with a shove, watching him crumple to the ground. Rowan coughed and rubbed his throat, talking with a rough voice, “I’m not Hatok. I am S’olva.” Linn ran over to him to help him stand, her eyes worried, her touch gentle. 

 

Djinn noticed and lifted an eyebrow, confused, “A freeman?” She looked at the other people in the room. There were two other Noor, one she recognised, “Bronwen?” The man had just been a boy when she’d seen him last, a young captain in her squad. “Commander,” Bron greeted her, touching his fist to his shoulder in salute. “Much has changed in the time you have been gone.”

 

“I notice ...” Djinn looked at the other people. They were shorter, clearly not Noor, but stood with their heads high, as equals. Bron smiled, “We won’t cause harm to you, or this planet … truly.” 

 

Djinn exhaled and looked at Linn, “Fine ... Then tell me why you are here?” Before she could get an answer, her comms bleeped. “Yeah? Kara … I’m with them right now, why?” She looked to Linn with wide eyes, “How many ships did you bring?” 

 

Linn frowned, “Just one … Why?” 

 

“A second Noor ship just dropped out of hyperspace.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Remember to feed the author :)


	4. Chapter 4

Linn frowned and took her communicator, hailing her ship, “This is commander Cadash. Status report!” Static was the only reply. “Something is jamming my signal.”

 

Djinn walked towards her, “Come with me. I’ll take you to my base. We have visuals on the ship and we can figure out what's blocking it.” The others started to protest, “I’ll bring her right back afterward.” 

 

“Linn! No. We don’t know if we can trust her … You could be walking right into a trap!” Rowan took hold of his wife, who looked back at him with determination in her eyes. “Our people are in that ship. We need to know what's happening … I’ll be fine.” She looked at Djinn, “I trust her,” she grinned. “Besides, I’ve always wanted to know what teleporting felt like.” She released Rowan and took Djinn’s outstretched hand. They vanished, leaving Rowan and the others behind in worry.

 

* * *

  
  


Her head hurt … And her throat was parched … And the rest of her body was just plain sore. Maggie figured she just had the world’s worst hangover. A groan escaped her lips and she tried to lift her hand to wipe the hair out of her face. She frowned when it didn’t work, when her hand didn’t move, her mind still too foggy to fully comprehend the situation. Unfamiliar sounds made her wonder where the heck she’d ended up this time. She didn’t hear the rhythmic noise of the clock at Alex’s apartment, nor the sounds of morning traffic at hers. It didn’t feel clammy like when she slept in her truck, or warm as it was at Kara’s. The detective only heard this strange clicking noise.

 

Maggie focused on her body first. She was sitting upright, on a chair most likely, her arms tied behind her back. It was starting to sink in that she might have gotten herself in a bad situation. Blinking her eyes open, but keeping as still as possible, Maggie tried to get her bearings. It was hard, as her head felt like it was about to split open. The clicking returned and this time Maggie recognized what it was, the shutter of a camera. Shit.

 

Figuring that whoever was taking those photos already saw she was awake, Maggie lifted her head, fighting the groan of pain trying to pass her lips. For a moment, she thought J’onn was sitting there, camera in hand and she frowned. Sure Alex’s surrogate dad (cause that was what he was to the Danvers sisters) would be pissed when he found out how bad Maggie’s been behaving, but this seemed a bit much … The overhead lights gleamed off the man’s metal plates and Maggie realised who it really was … Hank Henshaw … Cyborg Superman. Shit. 

 

He stood, smiling, “Glad to see you’re back amongst the living. I almost feared I hit you too hard.” His tone was anything but remorseful. Maggie looked him in the eye and spit out some blood in his general direction. He chuckled and moved to the door, “You’ve got spunk. I’m going to enjoy this.” He left the room, locking the door behind him with an audible bolt. Maggie’s head dropped back to her chest. Shit.

 

* * *

  
  


At the DEO, Alex paced in front of the monitors. This was taking too long. J’onn stood silent, his hands behind his back, waiting and watching. Winn was fidgeting on his chair, typing away at his keyboard. Kara had retreated to the training room, needing to take out her frustration against some concrete blocks. 

 

There was a loud crack and Djinn appeared, hand in hand with another woman, one just as tall as she was. Both Alex and J’onn drew their guns. Supergirl rushed in a second later. 

 

Djinn held out her hand, “It’s ok. This is Linn … Family, apparently.” Linn looked around the base with wide eyes. She placed her hands in front of her chest, palms together, and bowed her head. “She’s the leader of the first Noor ship,” Djinn continued. 

 

J’onn bowed his head, trusting Djinn’s judgement, and then turned to the satellite view, where the second ship was visible. “The second ship arrived ten minutes ago.” 

 

Linn paled visibly when she saw the image, “No … How did he follow us?” Her voice was shaking. Djinn grabbed her arm, a frown on her face, “Who?” She was dreading the answer.

 

“My father. King Loran. He’s been trailing us for years … We’ve managed to evade him so far. How did he find us?” Linn looked down as her communication device started beeping. She hit the button and tried to keep her voice steady, failing miserably, “This is Commander Cadash.” 

 

The voice sounded out loud, “My darling daughter … Oh, how I have missed you.” The voice was sly, and Linn stepped back as if he were in the room, shaking with wide eyes. Djinn growled and reached for the device, “Loran, you bastard … Haven’t heard your voice in almost a century. Wish it stayed that way!” 

 

A deep, booming laugh came from the comms, “By the Maker, little sister! … You just can’t stay dead can you?”

 

“Keep the Maker out of this. Get out of my galaxy!!”

 

Loran chuckled, “You don’t get to tell me what to do … Not anymore. Tell my daughter that the days of her little rebellion are over. It ends here.” They could hear a humming sound and Djinn closed her eyes, knowing what it was, “He’s powering his ship’s weapons … How are the shields on the Juggernaut?” She looked towards Linn, who just stared in shock, shaking her head. She then reached for the comms, “Don’t do this, father. There are children on that ship. Please … I’ll turn myself in … We’ll surrender.” Loran just laughed and shut down the communication. 

 

Djinn sighed deeply and turned to look at the screen, her face blank and emotionless. Moments later, the larger ship opened fire. The Juggernaut took heavy fire until, after the fifth or so direct hit, it exploded. Linn fell back against the desk and covered her face. 

 

Winn stared in shock, Kara placed her hands on his shoulders, her sister stood nearby, speechless. “How many people where on that ship?” J’onn asked. The Martian had his arms crossed in front of his chest, an unreadable expression on his face. 

 

It took Linn a moment to answer, “about one hundred … Including children … Nearly the entire rebellion.” She was still shaking. “The only ones left are those here on the surface. How do I face them now?“ 

 

“They have the right to know what happened. I’ll take you back when you’re ready.” Djinn spoke with a harsh tone, arms crossed and back straight. Kara moved closer, placing a hand on her arm. Djinn stooped a bit with a sigh as she looked at her friend, grateful for the support. “I’ll come with you,” Kara said. “Maybe we can offer them a safe place to rest and process what happened.” She looked at J’onn, who nodded, “I’ll have a hangar set up for temporary quarters. We can decide our next course of action once everyone is settled.”

 

Linn closed her eyes, relieved, and stood, holding out her hand to Djinn. “Let’s go.” 

 

Kara nodded towards Djinn and flew off, Djinn took Linn’s hand and they disappeared.

 

* * *

 

 

Rowan was startled when they appeared before him, breathing a sigh of relief. He moved to reach for his wife but stopped when he saw the look in her eyes. She looked sad, stricken. “What happened?”

 

Linn’s reply was interrupted by the arrival of Supergirl, and everyone reached for their guns. “It’s ok, she’s a friend,” Linn murmured, lowering her hand as signal to lower the weapons. She trembled as she looked at the people surrounding her, now the last members of the resistance. “My father found us. I don’t know how. But he … He ...” The tallest of the Noor men stepped forward, “What happened to the ship, Linn? My family is up there!” Bron’s eyes were wide as a feeling of fear settled in his stomach. He had never seen his commander falter so. 

 

“They’re dead … Loran destroyed the ship,” Djinn stood straight, arms crossed in front of her chest. Kara winced at her friend’s tone, it sounded like she was just announcing the weather. But when she looked closer, Kara saw the strain at the edges of Djinn’s eyes, the hollowness in her gaze. She realized then that Djinn was furious, devastated and scared … A mix of emotions she didn’t know how to handle.

 

A wave of disbelief spread through the group with the news as they thought about the people they just lost. Bronwen sank to his knees, whispering the names of his wife and daughters. The twins Wing and Wei leaned against each other with their heads down. They had no family left, but had a lot of friends on that ship. Rowan took a willing Linn in his arms, allowing her to cry on his shoulder, as he too felt the loss.

 

“I am very sorry for your loss,” Kara spoke softly, “All of your loss. We can offer accommodations for all of you … So you can … grieve, I guess, in safety.” 

 

“We will never be safe.” It was Bronwen who spoke, glaring at Djinn. “With your brother here, this world will never be safe again.” He frowned, “We should’ve never come here.” He looked toward Linn, and the woman visibly flinched at the look in his eyes, “This is your doing!” He moved forward, a red haze forming in front of him as he prepared to unleash his abilities.

 

Djinn stepped between them. “Enough!” she yelled and shoved Bron back with her purple shield. He was thrown on his back with a grunt. “Fighting amongst yourselves isn’t going to help.” The twins ran over to Bron to help him up. 

 

“The only one to blame is Loran himself.” Djinn sighed and turned to Kara, “Call for a couple of vans to drive everyone to HQ. I’m sure they’ll stop trying to kill each other eventually.” At Kara’s raised eyebrow, she added, “No promises though.”

  
  


* * *

 

 

 

An hour or so later they had settled in the hangar. A row of beds were placed on one side and several DEO agents set out food and bottles of water for the new arrivals. Alex and Kara stood at the entrance, overseeing the operations. 

 

“These people lost everything,” Kara said, sadness tinting her voice. She, like no other, knew what that was like. She laid her head back against her sister’s shoulder when Alex pulled her close. “What will happen to them?” 

 

Alex contemplated her answer for a moment, “First we wait out the situation with Djinn’s brother. Then they’ll probably become refugees. Lena can find them a spot at Haven, help them build a life here.” She moved to hug Kara from behind, resting her chin on her sister’s shoulder. “We’ll help them.” They fell silent, enjoying the comfort the sisters always found in each other. They watched Djinn, who sat on a bunk, talking with the tall Noor. The man had his head down, still deep in grief. Djinn laid a hand on his shoulder before she stood and walked away. She headed toward Alex and Kara.

 

“Bron gave me the quick recap of what happened on Baloria the past century,” Djinn sighed deeply and ran a hand across her face. “It’s not good … Loran became such a tirant after our father died that nearly the entire Hatok population rose up in rebellion. He turned his army on them in retaliation.” 

 

“Not all of us agreed with him,” Linn approached them, “He is my father … And … I loved him.” Her eyes met Djinn’s for a moment before they dropped, not able to handle the Cadash resemblance. “My entire life, I wanted him to love me back.” She took a breath before lifting her eyes again. “We formed the rebellion from the surviving Hatok and the Noor who turned their back on the king.” She looked around at the remaining people in the hangar, “And now this is what’s left of it, with the exception of a few stragglers here and there.” 

 

Djinn surprised them both when she placed her hand on Linn’s shoulder, “We’ll stop Loran. We’ll avenge the friends and families that were on that ship. I swear it, in the name of the Maker.”

 

Linn swallowed and nodded, “People don’t really pray to the Maker anymore … But thank you. I know how much it means.” She looked at Djinn, “There’s something else you should know. When I was created … Loran used DNA he got from the database to combine with his own,” she faltered. Both Alex and Kara tensed and looked at each other.  “Yours,” Linn continued.

 

It was Kara who first recovered, “So … that means you’re …” She pointed from Linn towards Djinn and back. 

 

“That means that, technically, she’s my daughter,” Djinn’s expression didn’t change much. Only Kara and Alex, who knew her so well, saw that she was shaken. Saw the look in her eyes and the paleness of her skin. “So … What powers did you inherit then? I take it my brother didn’t go through all that just to create him a Champion?” She hadn’t seen Linn use her abilities. 

 

The younger woman snorted, “Surprisingly little … They call me a Seer, because … well, I see things … Sense things. Like how I sensed you in that hangar. Not a very useful skill. Imagine how disappointed my father was when he found that out.”

 

The group fell silent, thinking. Alex scanned her tablet, “I think we have everyone settled in for now. How about we call it a night? Get some rest?” Everyone agreed. Linn threw Djinn a last look and returned to the rest of the rebels, finding her cot next to her husband’s.

 

Djinn followed the Danvers sisters out. “I’m heading home, I’m beat,” Alex said, “See you tomorrow?” Kara hugged her, “Sure you don’t need a lift?” She was still worried about her sister.

 

The redhead shook her head, “Nah. I have my bike here. Some fresh air will do me good.” She looked into concerned eyes, “I’m fine. Promise.” With that, she left them and headed out; leaving Kara and Djinn staring after her.

 

“I’m fine … pffffff,” Kara huffed, making Djinn chuckle. The tall woman laid an arm across Kara’s shoulders and pulled her against her. “She’ll talk when she’s ready, you’ll see.“ Kara exhaled slowly, “Yeah … you warrior types are all the same. I’m going to head home as well, maybe circle the city one last time though. Say hi to Lena for me.” 

 

Djinn watched as Kara flew off. She sighed, thinking about her girlfriend made her feel weary. How was she going to explain all of this … how her presence on this world ultimately brought so much death and destruction … and that this was only the beginning. 

 

With a heavy heart, she teleported out.

 

* * *

  
  


Alex entered her apartment and tossed her keys on the counter. She sighed, worn, it had been a long day. The apartment was silent, a sign that Maggie was probably still at work … or in a bar somewhere. Alex reached into the fridge for a beer and twisted off the cap. She was about to take a drink when there was a knock on the door. Frowning, she put the beer down on the counter and reached for her gun, purely on instinct. She slowly opened the door and looked outside. The hallway was empty. She took a step outside, looking both ways, her frown deepening. As she turned to walk back inside, she saw the brown envelope on her doorstep. Lifting it up, she checked it for any obvious signs of danger. Not seeing any, she took it inside. She was careful when she opened it, ready to act at the first sign of trouble. A cell phone fell out, a burner phone probably, and a picture.

 

Alex gasped when seeing the image. It was Maggie, tied to a chair, unconscious … God, Alex hoped she was unconscious … with a bleeding head wound. Alex was snapped out of staring when the burner phone rang. With her heart in her throat, she pressed the call button and lifted it to her ear.

 

“Hello Agent Danvers.” 

 

“Where is she?” Alex’s voice had taken on a low, dangerous tone. She recognized that voice … Lillian Luthor. 

 

Lillian chuckled, “Where would be the fun in me just telling you … Now first of all, if this conversation reaches more ears than these, you’ll find your nice detective in pieces … My associate will gladly take care of that.” She paused for effect, hearing Alex’s sharp inhale. “So not a word to your sweet little sister … Or to that monstrosity at the DEO.”

 

“What do you want?” Alex was rapidly losing it, seeing red. She closed her eyes, trying to gain some sense of control. Her girlfriend’s survival was counting on it. 

 

“I want you, Agent Danvers,” Lillian sounded smug, “Or more precisely, I need your mind.”

 

Alex growled, “I am not going to work for CADMUS!” 

 

Lillian ignored her outburst, “In the bottom of this telephone there is a computer chip. On it you will find all the data we have on our synthetic kryptonite. As you are aware from out Metallo disaster, the formula isn’t perfect. Our scientists have failed to fix it.”

 

“I’m not building you Kryptonite!” Alex couldn’t work on something that would be used to harm her sister.

 

Lillian chuckled again, “Guess you’ll be finding your girlfriend then … piece by piece.”

 

Alex gritted her teeth, “How do I even know she’s still alive?” She hated the way her voice broke. “Let me talk to her!” She heard Lillian shift and the clank of a metal door. More rustling and then Maggie yelling, “Whatever it is, don’t do it!” followed by the sound of a fist hitting flesh and a grunt of pain.

 

“Ok!” Alex yelled into the phone, her heart clenching at the sound of her girlfriend in pain, “I’ll look over the data … But I don’t have the resources to actually build it myself.”

 

“That’s fine, Agent Danvers. You give us the data, we do the rest … And remember, you are being watched.” Alex could almost hear Lillian smiling as the connection broke off.

 

Alex put the telephone down and dismantled it, retrieving the small microchip behind the battery. She held it in the palm of her hand, contemplating her future actions. If she did this, following Lillian’s orders, she would be committing treason, and she wasn’t even sure Maggie would be safe. But if she didn’t … Alex decided to at least appear to be following orders … and to find a way to let her friends know.

 

* * *

  
  


Lena sat in her office, thumbing through paperwork, when Djinn appeared by her desk. She stood and moved over, grabbing the taller woman in a hug. “How bad is it?” She asked when pulling back, lifting her head to look Djinn in the eyes. She frowned at the conflicting emotions she found there.

 

“Bad. Worse than bad really … I don’t know if there’s an English word for it.” Djinn started pacing, feeling restless, “To make a long story short, there’s been a rebellion within the Noor, the rebels came here to find me, my brother found them and blew their ship to smithereens. Loran wants to wipe out the rest of the rebellion … And the last members of it are now lodged in the DEO base.” Djinn walked towards the window and looked out into the night. “He’ll attack this city, this world .... And it’s my fault.”

 

Lena sighed, “None of this is your fault … These rebels came here to find you, yes, but you didn’t force them. You didn’t know they existed. And they were the ones being followed. That’s on them.” She knew Djinn would start to blame herself for this. 

 

Djinn turned to look at Lena, “One other thing you should know … Apparently I have a daughter … The leader of the rebellion, Linn Cadash. Loran created her with half my DNA.” She snorted, “I guess getting into trouble is a family trait.” Lena shook her head in disbelief, still believing the Noor had a strange way of procreating. She reached out to hold Djinn’s hand, “Come on. Let’s go home, get some sleep. We’ll figure it out in the morning.” Djinn nodded. She was so very tired. She gathered Lena in her arms and took them home.

 

* * *

  
  
  


Alex entered her lab at the DEO. The night crew didn’t even look up when she entered, though it had been awhile since she spend an all-nighter there. She booted up her computer and downloaded the data from Lillian’s microchip, using her own encrypted server to be on the safe side. Running through the files, Alex began her search for the flaw.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter. I struggled with filling a few gaps, plotwise. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy it anyways :)

Two days passed with very little change until the night crew at the DEO sounded the alarm early in the morning. J’onn was by their side in seconds. “What’s the situation?” 

 

Agent Vasquez, who was now in charge of the desk whenever Agent Schott was unavailable showed him the footage of the Noor ship, “It’s moving, Sir. Looks like they’re approaching Earth’s surface … maybe landing.”

 

J’onn sighed, “Call in everyone. It seems the show is about to start.” Susan Vasquez nodded, trying to conceal the sliver of fear running down her spine. They had survived alien invasions before, she thought, they would do so again.

 

* * *

  
  
  


Lena woke up in a cold bed. She sighed as she didn’t spot her girlfriend anywhere in the room. Taking a robe from a hook at the back of her bedroom door, she made her way through her dark penthouse, finding Djinn on the couch, staring into nothingness. She sat down next to her in silence. “Are you ok?” she asked after a while, as they watched the first rays of sunlight through the windows. Djinn turned to look at her and Lena was taken aback by the coldness in her eyes. The tall woman noticed and sighed, closing her eyes and tried to calm herself down. She had tried to sleep, but her dreams were getting worse.

 

“No … I’m not ok.” Djinn sounded sad and Lena laid a hand on her knee. Djinn gave her a small smile at the support. “But we’ll deal with it.” Her blue eyes focused on Lena’s once more and the green eyed woman nodded, relieved to see the coldness gone, “Together. Your brother won’t know what hit him.”

 

An incoming message made Djinn frown and she took her phone and checked it. It was the DEO. She turned back to Lena, “Get dressed. We’re going to the DEO ... It’s beginning.”

 

* * *

  
  


The entire gang, plus Linn, stood at the DEO command centre and watched the ship. It had landed swiftly in the desert just outside of the city, only a few miles away from the desert DEO base. Kara had flown over there for a quick check, but came back with the news that nothing was moving.

 

Djinn crossed her arms in front of her chest and glanced at her compagnions, “Just wait for it. He’ll announce his presence sooner rather than later.” They waited only a couple minutes before their screens went black only to light up again, a broad man with a long blonde beard filling the screen, his eerie familiar dark blue eyes staring into the camera. 

 

Loran’s broadcast was visible on every screen of the DEO. Djinn stood erect, fists clenched. Kara rested a hand on her arm, trying to calm her down. She could feel the tension coming off the tall woman, it was charging the air around her. Even Lena could feel the static electricity as she stood next to Djinn, staring at the screen. 

 

Winn typed away at his keyboard, “It’s everywhere,” he mumbled as he took off his headset. It wasn’t like he could try anything else to stop the transmission.

 

“People of Earth. I am Loran Cadash, King of the Noor. I have chosen this planet as the new base of the great Noor race. You should all be honored as you will become our servants. Resistance is futile, those who dare will be obliterated,” Loran smiled into the camera. “As our customs dictate, I will grant fifteen of your solar rotations. Then I expect full surrender from all your world’s leaders.” His dark eyes stared into the camera for a moment longer, to let the message sink in, before fading away. The screens went back to normal.

 

J’onn hummed, sighing when his cell phone started to ring, knowing that it was most likely President Marsdin herself. He excused himself, retreating to his office to take the call. 

 

Djinn turned to Linn, who sat down on a chair, pale and silent. She wanted to scream at the woman. After all, it was her who brought Loran to this world, throwing them headfirst into war. But she halted at seeing the desolate look in her eyes. She took a deep breath instead and looked at the others in the room, “15 days … We need to come up with a plan.”

 

* * *

  
  


The meeting was proving to be a long one, with everyone throwing in their ideas to come up with a plan of action. President Marsdin was there on live feed, telling them that the world leaders were prepared to nuke the Noor ship. Djinn was quick to shut that down, claiming that the ship’s shields could not be penetrated by such rudimentair weaponry. Kara was quick to add that the collateral damage would be significant, with the ship’s landing site so close to civilization. J’onn was passionately defending his views, offering Martian war tactics. Only Alex remained oddly quiet, distracted. 

 

Lena spent the meeting outside of the room with Winn at his console, having not been allowed to attend. Lena because of her civilian status (or a Luthor, you pick), and Winn because his clearance wasn’t high enough. They were both listening in, though, Winn having made quick work of the security systems, just because he could. The meeting was so boring he started hacking into things he probably shouldn’t be getting into. “Wow …” He suddenly exclaimed, piquing Lena’s interest. The CEO rolled her chair toward him and looked at the screen, “Winn, are you hacking Alex’s personal server?” She whispered at him and frowned, “Wait … Why is Alex building synthetic Kryptonite?” She kept on reading the code, “I’ve seen that formula before … It’s from CADMUS.” 

 

Winn looked at her, “How do YOU know that?” He sounded accusing, but Lena knew better. “Remember that time when I pretended to get along with my mother?” She lifted an eyebrow, waiting for the other shoe to drop, until Winn shrugged, “Oh yeah … So why does Alex have it?” To that, Lena didn’t have an answer.

 

They heard the meeting closing down and Winn quickly erased all evidence of his hacks. 

 

As soon as she was able to, Alex slipped out of the room, Djinn close behind. “Are you ok?” Djinn had noticed that Alex seemed off. Kara did as well, throwing her a worried look.

 

“Yeah … I’m fine,” Alex spoke fast, her eyes glancing around, “I need to get back to work.” She slipped around Djinn, heading in the opposite direction from her lab. Djinn frowned at this strange behaviour and decided that it was time to get some answers. She waited until she saw Alex enter the locker room and teleported. She appeared behind Alex, who didn’t even look surprised, grabbed her and disappeared.

 

Djinn took them to the rooftop, far away from prying eyes. “You expected me to do this, didn’t you? Why? What is it that you can’t talk freely about?” 

 

Alex turned and walked a few steps the other way, keeping her back to the other woman. She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her hands down. “CADMUS h-has Maggie,” she finally said, her voice fragile. 

 

“What?! How? When?” Djinn ran a hand through her hair. “I’m not really sure,” Alex said. “I got the message two days ago. And a call from Lillian herself. She said I was being watched. They infiltrated the DEO before, so I’m not taking chances.” Alex finally turned to look her friend in the eye, expecting to see disappointment but saw only understanding. She exhaled in relief.

 

“What do they want?”

 

Alex sighed, “For me to fix their synthetic kryptonite. I think they’re building a generator.”

 

“Have you told anyone else?” Djinn’s heart ached for the pain Alex went through alone.

 

Alex shook her head, “But Winn should have figured it out by now. I left a flaw in the security on my personal server. That should have worked like a red flag on him.” She managed a little grin.

 

Djinn took out her phone and send a quick message to Lena. “We need to tell the others. This isn’t something we can fix alone.” Alex nodded her consent, knowing her friend would be careful.

 

Several floors beneath them, Lena got Djinn’s cryptic message.

 

“Meet me on the roof. Tell Winn to join you in 5. Act normal.”

 

The frown that appeared on Lena’s face made Winn ask her if anything was wrong. She got up from her chair, “Come to the roof in five.” She told him and walked away. Winn stared after her, his mouth open and closing. Then he just shrugged. 

 

Lena passed Kara on the way, still locked in a heavy discussion with J’onn. Their eyes met for a moment, until Kara needed to turn her attention back to J’onn. Lena made her way to the roof, checking to be sure she wasn’t being followed. She wasn’t expecting to find Alex there, looking heartbroken as she was hugging herself. “What’s going on?”

 

“CADMUS has Maggie,” Djinn offered. Lena just nodded, not surprised, “So that’s why you’re working on the synthetic Kryptonite. Winn just found out.” she added the last part when Alex raised an eyebrow in confusion. Her phone buzzed and she saw a message from Winn. “Winn thinks someone was following me.” Her voice was a tone higher than normal, realising the danger Maggie would be in if they were discovered. Djinn acted fast and went for Alex, teleporting them both back out. 

 

A second later, the door to the staircase opened and an agent walked out. “Oh … Miss Luthor. What are you doing here?” The man asked. Lena threw him her brightest smile, “I just needed some air. I start to feel claustrophobic down there.” She saw the man looking around. “Can I help you with anything?” Lena asked him. He shook his head, “No … I’ll just escort you back down. It’s not safe here.” He held open the door and Lena walked through, still smiling brightly. Alex was right to be careful, she thought as she felt the man follow her back down the stairs. If there was one mole inside the DEO, there could be more.

 

* * *

  
  
  


Loran gazed out his window at the surrounding area. Earth was truly beautiful. They had landed in desert, but he knew there were other places on this world that were lush and green. He’d seen them while they were landing. He grinned, this place would be fun to harvest.

 

“My Lord,” a Noor woman called from behind him and he turned, nodding for her to speak. “We’ve discovered a great source of energy. We deem it wise to try and claim it.” 

 

Loran thought it over for a moment, “I agree. Stake out the location, get all the intell you can find. Then we take it.” They were running low on energy to power their machines. The woman saluted and turned, leaving the room. She’d send out a reconnaissance team to the underground base they discovered. Loran turned to his view … Soon, this entire world would be his.

 

* * *

  
  
  


It was Winn who came up with a plan to inform J’onn of Alex’s predicament as he went into J’onn’s office and asked the man to shapeshift into him to go and talk to Alex in her lab. The man frowned, but trusted Winn and Alex enough to do it.

 

So J’onn, disguised as Winn, walked into Alex’s office. “I take it you’re up to speed with the charade?” he asked. Alex nodded, letting him take her spot behind the computer, cause that’s what she’d let Winn do. She’d seen the agent in the hallway look a little too interested in her actions. Alex leaned against her desk, appearing to be talking to Winn about computer problems while J’onn scanned the documents on her screen. They explained everything, about CADMUS and what she’d been doing. 

 

J’onn frowned, “Have you given them anything?” He dreaded the answer, knowing how Alex had the tendency to think too much with her heart instead of her head. “Not much … enough to keep them busy.” She’d figured out the formula in a couple of hours, but hadn’t handed it over that easily. J’onn sighed, relieved that he wouldn’t have to arrest his best agent for treason. “Do you have IDs on the moles?” 

 

Alex nodded towards the agent in the hallway, “Fancy boy there is one. As is Leonards … He almost caught me telling Djinn. There could be more.” 

 

Nodding, J’onn stood. “I’ll start an emergency protocol test. Then I can scan everyone’s mind one by one. Should give us an idea about how widespread the problem is.” He hated that they had double agents amongst them, priding himself on their selection procedures. Apparently, it needed further scrutiny. He left the lab, remembering to slouch a bit as he was pretended to be Winn. “Thanks, Winn!” Alex called after him and he grinned.

 

* * *

  
  
  


Linn found Kara and Lena in the mess hall when she went to get food. She hesitantly took a seat next to them. “Have you seen Djinn? I’ve been wanting to talk to her but she keeps disappearing on me.” Lena snorted, “She’s really good at that.” 

 

Kara laid a hand on Lena’s arm and looked at Linn, “I think she’s in the training room. Come, we’ll show you the way.” The three stood and moved through the hallways in silence.  

 

As suspected, they found Djinn in one of the training rooms. The tall woman looked up as they entered and sighed, wondering if she could just teleport away. She decided to face the music. 

 

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Linn accused. 

 

Djinn frowned, “We’ve been busy … trying to save a friend.” But she had been actively avoiding the woman, they all knew that. 

 

Linn huffed, “We are sitting around, waiting. What’s the plan? How will you lead us?” 

 

Frowning, Djinn shrugged, “I don’t … I don’t lead anything or anyone. Those days are long past.” That was exactly the reason she’d been avoiding the other Noor. “You all look at me like I’m some sort of saviour,” Djinn looked at the younger woman, her daughter … She still hadn’t quite wrapped her head around that. “But I’m not. Even if I could I wouldn’t save the Noor,” she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, her voice resonant with deep sorrow, “The Noor don’t deserve to be saved.”

 

Linn’s eyes widened, “How can you say that?! They’re your people!” She took a step forward, her stance wide and angry. Djinn opened her eyes, “You were not there during the wars. You weren’t there when we destroyed worlds. When I came home and had to wash the blood of hundreds of men from my hands.” Her voice cracked, “It never comes off!” She saw Linn flinch and both Kara and Lena moving forward to interfere. She pointed at them, “No! This needs to be said.” Her eyes turned back to Linn and the woman gasped at the darkness she saw in those blue eyes. “I’m glad my brother decided to cripple his own people, saves me the trouble … The Noor are dying. Let them!” With that, she turned on her heels and walked away, too angry to even teleport. 

 

Linn was trembling, shocked by the anger and the hate Djinn carried for her own people. Kara moved to support her and led her to the raised platform to sit on the edge. Linn sat down heavily, her head spinning and her stomach churning. 

 

“You look awfully pale,” Lena noticed the pearls of sweat on Linn’s forehead, “Are you ok?” Linn nodded, “Just a bit shocked. That is all.” She tried to stand but was caught off guard by a wave of dizziness, grabbing Kara to keep from falling, “Or maybe not.” Kara draped Linn’s arm across her shoulders, “I’m taking you to med bay … Let our doctors take a look at you.” Linn didn’t protest as she was being led through the hallways, Kara supporting her on one side, Lena standing by on the other. 

 

* * *

  
  
  


“I am what?!” Linn’s voice was loud and high, filled with disbelief as she stared down Dr. Hamilton. The resident DEO doctor was slightly apprehensive of the tall woman sitting on the bed and glanced over at Supergirl leaning against the wall, checking if she still had backup. She showed her chart, “You’re pregnant. I’d say eight weeks. Though with your alien physiology, I cannot be certain.”

 

“But … that  not possible,” Linn murmured, her eyes going to Kara and Lena. She looked back at the doctor, “Noor are born in a lab. We are sterile.” 

 

Dr. Hamilton shrugged, “You’re not … clearly.” She stood, “I suggest you rest for now. If you have more problems, come find me.” Dr. Hamilton gave the other two women a nod and left the room, deciding to give Linn some time to let everything sink in.

 

Lena walked towards Linn, who sat staring at her feet. She reached out and placed a hand on the other woman’s leg, “Are you alright?” Linn looked up, her blue eyes teary, “I just don’t understand.” 

 

Kara moved to sit behind her on the bed, “Your husband, Rowan, he isn’t Noor is he?” 

 

Linn shook her head, “No. He is a former Hatok.” She frowned, wondering what Kara was getting at. Lena inhaled, understanding it, “Djinn once mentioned that it was forbidden for Noor and Hatok to be in a relationship. She didn’t care and was probably the first Noor to have Hatok lovers. But as she only took other women to bed, that was never an issue.” She noticed Linn frown as she didn’t quite understand what she was getting at. “It’s basic genetics. Noor are sterile, yes, but Hatok aren’t. A mix of those two could technically result in a pregnancy … A hybrid of some sort.” She smiled, “I think congratulations are in order.” She looked over Linn’s shoulder at Kara, who was beaming back. They needed some light in their life right now.

 

Linn groaned, “How am I going to tell Rowan?!” 

 

Kara laughed and got up, making her way out of the room, Lena following, “Get some rest.” Linn nodded an laid back on the bed. Lena joined Kara in the hallway.

 

“Should we go and find Djinn?” Kara asked after a couple of moments. 

 

Lena shook her head, “Better let her calm down first.” She stopped walking to look at Kara, “It’s just … ever since the Noor came to earth, she’s been different. Angry. Like she’s another person altogether … again. God, I swear that woman has more personalities than I have shoes.” She sighed in frustration, running a hand through hair. “She’s probably at Haven … It's were she goes when she's frustrated. To play with the kids there.”

 

Kara chuckled suddenly, “Someone needs to go and tell her she’s going to be a grandmother!” Lena couldn’t help but join her in laughter.

 

* * *

  
  


It was loud and boisterous in the refugee center, as it alway was during the day. Djinn sat on a bench looking over the playground. A couple of kids greeted her when she arrived, asking her to play. But Djinn felt out of sorts still and politely declined, promising to join them later. She liked to just sit there and watch them play. How, even though they came from different planets, had different powers, they were just kids. They played a game very similar to basketball, but added some rules. Like you could only teleport when in possession of the ball, tentacles and/or extra arms are only allowed when defending and absolutely no lasers!

 

Djinn could already feel her anger slipping away as she watched the game. She looked up when a group of adults left the building, a familiar man talking to them. Djinn was surprised when James smiled and walked over, taking a seat next to her. “What are you doing here?” she asked him.

 

The big man put the folder he was holding next to him on the bench, “I volunteer here. To help them with jobs and housing and stuff. Question is, what are you doing here? I’d figured you’d be back at DEO. Dealing with our next alien invaders crisis.”

 

“I just needed to cool down,” Djinn sighed deeply, “I lost my temper again. Took it out on Linn. You know, new fact, she’s my daughter … Loran took samples of my DNA to create her.” 

 

James gaped at her, “Man … that’s harsh.” Djinn snorted, “She has my temper, that’s for sure.” 

 

They fell silent, both lost in thoughts, until Djinn stood, “Want to join me and the kids for a game of space-basketball?” James chuckled but followed her, “They’ll wipe the floor with me!” 

 

“Don’t worry,” Djinn said with a grin, as they reached the playing field, “I’ll ask them to go easy on you!”

 

* * *

  
  


The room was engulfed in a green glow, the generator humming in the center. Lillian Luthor stood behind a glass wall, looking down as her scientists worked. “How close are you to completion?” she asked her lead scientist. The man smiled, “Very … We managed to fill in the blanks that DEO agent left us. Stage two is about to unfold.”

 

Lillian smiled. She glanced towards Henshaw, “Any word about Agent Danvers?” Henshaw shook his head, “Our agents have not yet been discovered by the DEO. Danvers is still working on the formula, or so she pretends … I fear she is stalling … Or she’s not as smart as you seem to think she is.” 

 

“Oh … She is Henshaw, she is … But her cooperation will no longer be necessary.” Lillian saw the cyborg smile, “The detective is all yours.” Henshaw gave a nod and left the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Remember to feed the author :)


	6. Chapter 6

Six days. Maggie figured it’s beens six days since she’d been captured, though it was hard to keep up. With the constant headaches and lack of light, she was disoriented. 

 

She paced her small cell, trying to alleviate her sore muscles. She did squats to stop her legs from cramping and rolled her shoulders as much as she could to work out stiffness there. She was glad they handcuffed her wrists in front of her, it allowed for a bit of mobility. 

 

They left her alone for the most part, dropping some food and water now and then. The  guards paid her no attention, Maggie even managed to nick a small spoon from a plate yesterday. She kept it hidden in her pocket. She heard Henshaw pass by her cell a couple of times, the cyborg had a peculiar way of walking, but he never came back in. So Maggie figured they only needed her for leverage. And that would mean for Alex. Maggie just hoped Alex wasn’t getting herself into trouble.

 

* * *

  
  


Henshaw entered the holding area and made his way to the cell holding the detective. He’ll enjoy snapping her neck, finally able to shut the woman up. She’d been getting on his nerves the minute she woke up on that chair, all rude and insolent. He would dump the body somewhere Agent Danvers would find it, wishing he could be around to see her reaction. 

 

Just as he rounded the last corner, the alarms sounded. Henshaw reached for his comms, “Report!” He barked into the device. 

 

“Sir! We’re under attack!

 

He cursed, “DEO?” He wondered how they found them. 

 

“No Sir,” was the reply before the channel was shut off. Henshaw turned and ran back to the command center. The detective could wait, first he would handle whoever was stupid enough to attack them. 

 

He saw them when he reached the command center. Tall soldiers, dressed in sleek, red armour. They handled energy weapons that were tearing through his men. He growled as they spotted him and raised his enhanced arm, his gun raised. He attacked.

 

* * *

  
  
  


Alarms blared and Maggie crawled to her feet, hearing several men rush by her cell. The detective had lost track of time completely by now. She patted her pocket, where she felt her own homemade prison shank, the small spoon she sharpened against the stone floor. 

 

Suddenly the door opened and a guard rushed in. He barely glanced at her, figuring she wasn’t a threat. After all, she was a small, unarmed woman, weak from days of captivity and he was a big strong man with a gun. He roughly grabbed her by the arm, half-dragging her out of the room. Maggie protested weakly, trying to get him off balance, and the moment the gun trailed a little bit to the side, she saw her opening.

 

Maggie slammed her elbow into the surprised guard’s face and lashed out with her shank towards his neck, hitting just where she intended. The man fell with a silent scream, his jugular vein severed. Maggie winced at the blood covering her hands, but right now it was them or her. She crouched and searched his pockets, finding the keys to her handcuffs. Once free, she took his gun, threw open the door and fled the room. 

 

She found herself in an underground base, a maze of hallways and tunnels, thankfully mostly deserted. She could hear fighting on the upper levels of the base. Maggie need to find a way out, or a way to send a message, she didn’t know if the attackers were DEO.

 

After what seemed like hours, Maggie found herself looking into a command center of some sort. Peeking inside, she found it empty. It looked like it was abandoned in a hurry, like the rest of the base was as far as Maggie could see. Closing the door behind her, Maggie began searching the room for anything that could be of use. She huffed in frustration when her search didn’t yield much, only an old radio. But then an idea formed in her mind. She could record a message and use the old radio lines to broadcast it. It would take some rewiring, but nothing she hadn’t seen Winn do with his eyes closed. Then she would try to find a way out.

 

A few minutes later, Maggie had fully rewired the radio. She smirked at her handiwork, thinking she’d make Winn proud. Pressing the button on the microphone, she started recording. Quick and efficient, not knowing how much time she had. Having said what she meant to, she hesitated and decided to quickly add a little message for Alex. Who knows when, or if, she’d make it outta there.

 

A loud bang and heavy footsteps made her scramble to complete the transmission and as soon as she hit send, the door was kicked in. Maggie threw her back against the wall and lifted her hands, showing she was unarmed. She swallowed when she stared into the barrel of a gun … a sleek energy gun, the kind she’d never seen before. Holding it was a man in full armour, a blazing red cloak around his shoulders. “I found a survivor,” he said, his voice dulled by his helmet. Four other men entered, three of them in matching armour. It was the fourth, however, that made Maggie’s eyes widen. He was broad shouldered and muscular, with a long, wild sandy blonde beard. But the eyes where a family trait … The same stormy dark blue. 

 

Loran grinned and Maggie thought she was better off with Henshaw.

 

* * *

  
  


Winn received an incoming message and frowned at the old, unused format. It took him a couple of minutes to decipher it and his eyes widened as the message started to play, recognizing that voice. He shut it down, grabbed his tablet and ran to Alex’s lab, sighing with relief when he found the two Danvers sisters there and startling them as he rushed into the lab. He looked at Alex and Kara, hesitating, “I intercepted this message … It’s from Maggie … I’m trying to pinpoint its origin.” Alex’s eyes narrowed, but she nodded at him to start playing. Alex closed her eyes and inhaled sharply when her girlfriend’s voice filled the room.

 

“This is Detective Maggie Sawyer, NCPD. I’ve been abducted by Cadmus, I’m in an underground base of some sort. Hopefully I’ll manage to put out a GPS signal with this message. But in case I can’t …” she sighed. “Anyway, Cadmus is working on something big. I’ll send all the info I can find with this message.” She closed her eyes, hesitating, “The next part of this message is for Agent Alex Danvers of the DEO ...  just in case I don’t … you know … just … I’m sorry, about everything.” She swallowed audibly, “And I found that little box you hid under the bathroom cupboard. I would have said yes.” They could hear her shift, “Shit, someone’s coming, I have to go … See ya, Danvers.” 

 

Alex opened her eyes when she felt her sister wipe at the tears that slipped down her cheek, “Is that little box what I think it is?” Kara asked in a soft voice and watched as Alex nodded, her face crumbling. She pulled her sister into her arms, “Oh Alex. We’ll find her. I promise.” Alex buried her face in Kara’s shoulder, taking deep breaths to try and keep it together, Kara’s warmth grounding her. 

 

When she stepped back from Kara, she wiped at her face, erasing the last traces of tears, “I bought the ring months ago, before the shooting. After … I just didn’t feel good enough anymore. Like I was broken.” Alex shook her head, realization setting in, “But I’m not, not anymore.” Kara gave a small smile at seeing the glint return in her sisters eyes, a glint she hadn’t seen since before the shooting. It was when Alex realized something … It was time for Agent Danvers to come out of hiding.

 

* * *

  
  


Maggie walked between two guards, shackles on her wrists. She was trying not to be intimidated, but the two men flanking her were clearly Noor and towered over the detective. She paid attention to her surroundings as they walked her through the ship. She noted the servants, Hatok if she remembered Djinn correctly, and how most of them looked unhappy and beaten down. There was this one girl she passed, wearing flimsy clothing that barely covered the bruises. She had a desolate look in her eyes, and Maggie didn’t need much imagination to figure out what had happened to her. 

 

They reached a door and halted, waiting for the servant open it. One of the guards pushed Maggie on the shoulder to get her moving and the detective had to grit her teeth not to throw back some snarky remark. That probably wouldn’t be such a good idea, she already had a bruise forming on her cheek from the last time she talked back.

 

Loran stood in the center of the room, clearly his bedroom, wearing plain trousers and an open shirt. “Who are you to my sister?” he asked as he walked closer. He stepped right in front of Maggie and seemed to sniff at the air. “You carry her scent, faintly but it’s there. You seem different than her usual type … No, I don’t think you’re her lover.” He walked around Maggie, sizing her up. She stood straight, defiant and unafraid, even though he was a good two heads taller. 

 

Maggie’s eyes never left him, hiding her true feelings inside. She knew she wouldn’t be able to fight this guy. “I met her, yes. She’s a friend of a friend, as they say.” Loran stopped behind her. “You lie,” he whispered in her ear and Maggie couldn’t stop the shiver running down her spine, making him laugh. Loran walked away from Maggie, “Don’t worry … You’re not my type either.” He took some food from a nearby table and started eating, “I do think you’re closer to my sister than you’d like to admit. You’ll be of good use.” He took a bite out of a chunk of meat and chewed for a few seconds, “Especially if I make you bleed first.”

 

The grin he gave Maggie made her blood run cold …

 

* * *

  
  


They discovered the former CADMUS base not long after the attack, Winn picking up the energy spikes from the Noor weapons. Several squads of DEO agents and police officers stormed it, finding only death and destruction. Alex stood inside, her sister by her side. “We’ll find her, Alex,” Kara told her. She’d personally scanned the entire facility, but came up empty. The generator Alex was sure they’d been working on had disappeared also, only traces of the synthetic Kryptonite remained.

 

Djinn was crouching nearby, hunched over the body of a Noor soldier. Next to him was the body of Hank Henshaw, the cyborg finally being bested. They hadn’t found Lillian yet, but no one would be surprised that the woman managed to slip away again. She was like an eel that way. With a deep sigh, Djinn stood, “I served with that guy. He was a good soldier, loyal, most of them are. My brother is their king, they’d follow him to the end.”

 

“What would Loran want with Maggie?” Kara asked. They hadn’t found her, or her body, so they assumed the Noor had taken her with them.

 

“He’ll probably sense me on her, he’ll know she’s my friend.” Djinn knew they needed to get her out quickly. 

 

Alex cocked her gun, “So then we know where she is. What are we waiting for?” 

 

“We can’t just waltz in there. That’s suicide,” Djinn said. Alex grumbled, but knew they had a point. “Let’s head back to the DEO then, regroup. But I’m going to get her out!”

 

Djinn nodded, placing a hand on Alex shoulder. “We will.” She took another look around, “On the bright side. Loran did take care of CADMUS. Remind me to thank him for that before I kill him.” 

 

* * *

  
  


Everything was hurting, every fiber in her body was fighting to stay unconscious. But there was someone whispering, sushing, taking care of her wounds. Maggie groaned and tried to roll over from where she was lying, on her stomach in her cell. A gentle hand was placed on her back to keep her down, “Don’t move, I’m almost finished.” It was a woman, the same one Maggie saw earlier, with the flimsy clothing and the bruises. 

 

Maggie winced when she rubbed ointment into the wounds on her back. “How bad is it?” She was almost afraid to ask.

 

The woman frowned, “You’ll live. But there will be scarring.” She helped Maggie sit and handed her a shirt, Maggie’s own rendered to shreds. She sat down cross-legged and looked at Maggie, “Is it true? You know the Hero?” She said, her voice soft.

 

“Who? Djinn?” Maggie lifted an eyebrow when the woman nodded, “Yeah, she’s my friend.”

 

“It is said that she doesn’t see us as slaves, that she treated Hatok with respect. And that she should have been Queen of the Noor.” The woman glanced to the sides, to assure that no one was listening, “If I help you, will you take me to her?”

 

“Yes. Help me off this ship and my people will protect you.”

 

The woman nodded and stood, “I need some time … I will return with help. Rest. I’m sure the king’s bloodlust has been sated for now. He won’t bother you further.” She knocked on the door and a guard let her out. Maggie tried to prop herself up against the wall, trying to get comfortable even though her back was on fire. She tried closing her eyes but only saw flashes of Loran and the crazed look in his eyes as he whipped her. He was mad, Maggie was sure of it now. The Mad King … She was pretty sure that was a character on that TV show Alex and Kara made her watch, even though fantasy wasn’t really her thing. She saw enough science-fiction in her day to day life. Thinking of Alex made her sigh, “Come on Danvers, Little Danvers. I’m sure you know where I am by now.”

 

* * *

  
  


Alex and J’onn were arguing at the DEO. Winn looked very uncomfortable, trying to make himself as small as possible in his chair. Both Kara and Djinn had left to help with a raging fire downtown. J’onn stared his second down, “It is too dangerous. I want to save Detective Sawyer as well, but we have no idea what to expect.”

 

“I’m not leaving Maggie in there! Give me a small team. We go in, find her and get back out.” Alex was not planning to back down, not this time. She needed to fix this.

 

A part of J’onn was glad to see the fire in his surrogate daughter again. Before he could answer, Winn raised his hand tentative. “Yes, agent Schott?”

 

“We know they took the Cadmus generator right?” Winn toggled on his keyboard, bringing up the surveillance of the Noor landing site. “Everyone who has been in proximity of it has been exposed to an amount of radiation. And they keep passing it through to others. It’s leaving traces throughout the ship.” As he was working, green dots started to appear on a black screen, forming some sort of map.

 

Alex leaned over his chair, “Don’t tell me you have a layout for the ship? Winn, that’s brilliant!”

 

Winn shrugged, “A, it’s not complete, but I can keep updating it as the isotopes spread through the place and B, it was actually Lena’s idea.” At Alex’s raised eyebrow, he hit his coms, “I’ve put you on speaker.” 

 

“It might have been my idea, but you executed it perfectly,” Lena's voice came through. 

 

J’onn smirked, “Miss Luthor. You are always welcome here at the DEO. It seems agent Schott here and yourself make quite a team.” He could picture Lena beaming behind her desk. He then turned to Alex, holding up his index finger, “One squad, Djinn and Kara too. You go in and get out. Winn and Lena can help guide you through.” Alex nodded and sighed in relief.

 

* * *

 

Maggie must have dozed off at some point. She was rudely awakened when someone shook her shoulder. It was the woman from before, “Can you stand?” she asked reaching for Maggie’s arm to help her. Maggie bit back a groan as she got to her feet, swaying gently. She could feel her back bleeding again and tried to ignore it. 

 

“We must go.” A young man stood by the door, glancing into the hallway. “Nico and the others will have reached hangar one by now.” 

 

The woman nodded and handed Maggie a rifle, just in case something went wrong. “We’re between guard rotations in the hangars. If we hurry, we might slip out between shifts.” 

 

Maggie took the gun and nodded, “Thank you.”  She followed them out of the cell.

 

The young man took point, leading them through the corridors, which were mostly deserted. Most of the Hatok they passed looked the other way. A couple of others were quickly overtaken. They stumbled upon one Noor woman and Maggie had her at gunpoint. The woman just lifted her hands and moved away with a nod of her head. “She’s a friend,” the other two assured her. 

 

Finally, they reached big metal doors and the man fiddled around with the controls until they slid open. As they moved inside, Maggie gasped. The hangar was massive and held eight of those robots Djinn used to talk about, four of them on each side. Maggie walked up to one and stared in awe … or fear … probably a combination of the two. It was sleek black and red, and at least 20 feet tall. These things would decimate the forces of Earth. 

 

“Are these things hard to operate?” she asked out loud. The woman looked at her with a frown, “I’m not an expert, but I don’t think so. Why?”

 

Maggie grinned, a plan forming in her mind.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone reading and commenting! I've caught up with most I have already written and finished, So updates might be a bit slower from now. The ending is completed, but I'm struggling with a part in the middle. I promise I won't keep you hanging long!

Alex was peering through her binoculars at the ship. They sat on a ledge, quite some distance away, hidden in a small ditch. She was counting, and cursing softly. The ship was huge and it sat in the middle of a complete barren wasteland. She had counted seven guards already, circling the ship … And two of those unbelievable robots. Getting in without being seen was close to impossible. She looked at Djinn, who was crouching beside her, “Any ideas?” 

 

Djinn sighed, “Those robots will spot us the moment we get any closer. There’s no cover anywhere. And I can’t teleport inside. Loran must have the ship shielded with something.” Kara put a hand on her sister’s shoulder, “I can take on those robots! It’ll be a distraction for you to slip inside.” 

 

Shaking her head, Alex refused, “No! We don’t know what they’re capable of.” Djinn agreed, “And they have more. It’ll take them a few moments to get them operational, but not long enough for us to complete the mission.” She frowned, not having a plan to save her friend. Part of her knew Alex wouldn’t give up, she’d just throw herself out there if it would get her inside. 

 

Suddenly, a siren blared from inside the ship. “Did they spot us?” Kara asked, but Alex shook her head, “I don’t think so …” Alex looked at the ship with her binoculars, hoping to see what the problem was. One of the ramps started to lower, and for a moment Alex feared she was wrong, that they had been spotted. Before the ramp hit the ground however, another robot broke through, sparks flying where it hit the metal. The robot moved clumsy as it engaged with the other two robots already outside. “What the hell?!” Alex mumbled. 

 

Djinn grinned, “And we have one rogue robot. I wonder who’s on those controls.” She winced when the rogue robot took a direct hit from one of the other ones and went down, “Ohhhh … That will have hurt. Whoever it is, he’s not very good at it.” The rogue robot crawled back on its feet and went in for another attack. 

 

“We have to help him.” Kara stood and sped off, not waiting for Alex reply. She flew towards the fighting robots, using her heat vision to distract them.

 

Inside the rogue robot, Maggie was relieved when she spotted Supergirl. The plan sounded good in her head, but it ended somewhere about now. They hadn’t planned on having to fight already, as it wasn’t protocol to have robots guarding the ship. So Maggie just improvised. She was starting to feel it, though, as the adrenaline she was running on was fading. She was strapped to the controls, her upper body suspended while her hands and feet moved freely, being connected to the robot’s limbs. With Supergirl distracting the robots for the moment, she scanned the area using the cameras on the robot’s head. They fed images onto an eyepiece in front of Maggie’s left eye. The constant feed of info on the eyepiece combined with what she saw with her other eye in the cockpit was giving her a headache. That was the part that was the most difficult getting used to. It took her a few moments to spot the familiar redhead in the distance. Maggie felt her heart soar.

 

She glanced towards the woman sitting in front of her at another set of controls. “Riva? Can you open a communication channel with the DEO?” Riva nodded and started to toggle some switches, “That should do it.” Maggie took a deep breath.

 

Alex was hesitating, but at least her sister looked like she could handle her own for the moment. Besides, Djinn could pull her out at any moment. She knew that sending in her own troops would be a bad idea, Djinn agreed, knowing what those machines were capable of, the humans would be squashed like bugs in an instant. Her comms pinged and she hit them without thinking, knowing that it would probably be J’onn checking in. 

 

“Danvers? You hearing me?”

 

Alex gasped, “Maggie! Where are you?” She could hear her grunt and heard a crash, at the same time as she saw the rogue robot get hit. “Are you in that thing?” She was partly scared for her safety and partly envious … as the scientist, and the nerd, in her would love to be at the controls of a 20-foot robot.

 

Maggie chuckled into the comms, imagining the look on the redhead’s face. “Jealous Danvers?” she made the robot duck a swing and crashed into the other one, taking it down with her. She let out a groan when her body was tossed around in the suspenders, the belts digging painfully into her shoulders and back.

 

“Maggie!” Alex yelled and stood to run towards her. Djinn pulled her back down, “Pull back your men. Tell Mags to take the robot and follow you. Kara and I will slow down the pursuit.” 

 

Alex nodded, “Maggie! Are you ok?” she heard Maggie’s heavy breathing, holding her own breath for fear of missing the reply. 

 

Biting back another groan, Maggie crawled back up, the robot following her movements, “I’ve honestly had better days Danvers.”

 

“Take the robot and go. We’re retreating. Let Supergirl and Djinn handle the rest.” Alex told her of the plan. Immediately, the rogue robot turned and moved away from the ship, the other two moved to stop it. Djinn nodded at Alex and teleported onto the battlefield, right in the path of one of the two advancing robots. Using her shield she threw it back. Beside her, Kara collided with the second one.

 

Alex called the retreat and the small squad of DEO agents got into their trucks and drove off. Looking into the rearview mirror, Alex saw the one robot following them and sighed in relief.

 

She led the group to an area a few blocks from the DEO and stopped her truck. The agents got up and circled the remaining robot, guns raised. The robot stepped up and stood still. Minutes later a hatch opened by its right leg and a very worn and tired Maggie Sawyer climbed out. One other woman and two men followed, staying back. The agents lowered their guns quickly as Alex ran towards Maggie, catching her as she stumbled into her arms. 

 

“Hey Danvers …” Maggie mumbled as she buried her face in Alex’s neck. She winced as the other woman held her tightly and trembled, the adrenaline now completely gone. Alex heard the sharp intake of breath and felt the wetness on her hands. She looked down and saw the blood clinging to her fingers. “Maggie, you’re bleeding!” 

 

“I’m ok. I’m going to be ok … Hey,  Alex?” Maggie looked up into her eyes and gave her a weak smirk, “I’m going to faint now, ok?” Alex eyes widened but she nodded. Maggie closed her eyes and went limp, spent but safe. 

 

“I’ve got you,” Alex held her tight, her other arm going under her knees to pick her up, “I’ve got you.” She cradled Maggie against her chest  and carried her into one of the trucks. They sped off to DEO HQ. 

 

* * *

  
  
  


Kara got back first, leaving Djinn to throw any following troops off their trail. The duo made easy work of the two remaining robots, but Kara had to admit she was scared when Djinn told her that there would be more than a dozen on that ship. If they all attacked at the same time … But at least now they had one of their own, thanks to badass Maggie Sawyer. 

 

She entered the building through her customary balcony and was happily surprised to see Lena at the controls off the command centre. The CEO beamed at her, ecstatic to be around this much state of the art technology. Kara ignored the feelings that smile evoked, mentally calling herself a bad friend.

 

“Kara! I’m glad you’re safe.” Lena stood and enveloped Kara in a tight hug. 

 

Kara allowed herself a sigh at the hug, “How’s Maggie?” She moved back from Lena. 

 

Lena gave a relieved smile, “Resting in the med bay. Alex is with her. Djinn?” She didn’t see her girlfriend come back with the troops. “She’s fine. Should be back any minute now …”

 

They saw a purple flash and Djinn appeared on the balcony. Kara took a quick step further away from Lena and started pulling at imaginary lint from her sleeves. Lena didn’t notice but Djinn did. The tall woman moved to Lena and surprised her with a hug, she hadn’t been very affectionate for the past week. Djinn noticed the way Kara looked the other way, a slight blush on her cheeks. They needed to have a chat, Djinn thought. Instead she asked, “How’s Maggie?” Lena told her the same thing she told Kara. 

 

Djinn nodded, “Have you received the schematics from the robot?” She chuckled when Lena started to glow, “Yes! They’re amazing. I’ll need more time with them though. But I think we can repair the damage to it. Winn is down there listing the raw materials we will need. I should have them all in stock at L-Corp.”

 

“They’re all yours. I’m going to check up on Maggie.” Djinn let go of Lena and walked away.

 

On the way to the med bay, she saw three Hatok, a woman and two men she hadn’t seen before. The men still wore her brother’s colors, the woman was in a DEO sweatshirt. They stared at her with big eyes, before falling to their knees. Djinn frowned, “Get up. You bow for no one anymore! Certainly not to me.” They hesitated but got to their feet. “You three helped my friend escape, yes?” Djinn asked them. She knew Maggie couldn’t have operated that machine on her own. It normally took a crew of five to run them. 

 

Riva nodded, “Yes … my queen.” Djinn sighed again, “My name is Djinn. I’m not your queen. Nor will I ever become your queen. Starting now, you are free people.” She waved over an agent, “Get them down to the hangar with the others. Linn will take care of them.” The man nodded and led the way. Riva gave her a big eyed look of wonder as she passed. 

 

Djinn shook her head, knowing that there were more of them on her brother’s ship. Their people weren’t bad, didn’t want to wage war, but Loran would force them anyway. Still shaking her head, she continued on her way to the med bay. 

 

She found Alex on a chair next to the bed, staring at Maggie’s sleeping form. “How is she?” She kept her voice soft, not wanting to disturb Maggie. Alex sighed deeply, “She lost some weight during captivity … but … she’s been tortured, recently. Her back is torn to shreds, several lashes run through to her front. Your brother … If I ever get my hands on him …” Djinn laid a hand on her shoulder, “You’ll have to stand in line.” She stepped closer to the bed and looked down. Maggie was pale and visibly lost a couple of pounds, but Djinn knew that the worst of the damage was covered by bedsheets. She could smell the disinfectant and the remaining scent of dried blood. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, closing her eyes.

 

“It’s not your fault, Djinn,” Alex told her. But the tall woman shook her head, “If I hadn’t been here. If you never met me …” Alex interrupted, “Then we would probably be dead. You saved us from CADMUS, remember? You saved me. So I, for one, am thankful we met you.” 

 

Djinn opened her eyes, remembering the moment she saved Alex. She placed a hand down on Maggie’s chest. She was a healer, for the Maker’s sake, it was time to start acting like one. 

 

“What are you doing?” Alex stood up from her chair with a frown. Djinn ignored her, focussing on her hand. Tiny tendrils of purple lightning slipped from her fingers and sunk into Maggie. I can’t believe this is working, was the last thought going through her head before the pain hit her. It was so intense, Djinn couldn’t help the scream that ripped from her throat. She collapsed to the floor in a heap, Alex too shocked to catch her. 

 

Maggie sat up in the bed with a gasp, startled. “Danvers … What the hell!” she exclaimed, seeing a shocked Alex standing over an unconscious Djinn. Maggie reached down and lifted her shirt, staring in wonder when she saw that her injuries had disappeared. Only a thin, white line remained. 

 

Kara crashed into the med bay, having heard the scream. She didn’t need her super hearing to have heard that. “What happened?!” Alex shook her head and crouched, checking a theory. She lifted Djinn’s shirt, wincing when it stuck to fresh blood. 

 

“So that’s what a healer does,” Lena sounded a bit out of breath, having run all the way to the med bay. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together. Maggie looking perfectly healthy and her girlfriend was bleeding on the floor. She sunk down on her knees next to Djinn’s head, “They take the injuries onto themselves. She always wondered about that.” She wiped a few strands of hair out of her face, “She should be fine with some sleep, as her own healing kicks in.”

 

Maggie moved out of the bed and was engulfed in Alex’s arms. Kara went to Djinn and lifted her up, placing her on the bed in Maggie’s place. The tall woman mumbled something unintelligible but didn’t wake up. Lena helped Kara remove her boots and covered her with a blanket.  

 

Kara turned to her sister and Maggie, reaching out to hug the shorter woman, “I’m happy to see you’re ok.” She pushed Maggie towards Alex, “But you two will talk, now. Or I swear I’ll find a broom closet somewhere and lock you two in there for a few hours … And I’ll be making closet jokes for the rest of your lives.” 

 

Maggie grinned, “Wouldn’t want that … Come on Danvers, I need a shower and a change of clothes.” She grabbed Alex’s hand and dragged her out of the room. “I’ll steal some from Vasquez. She’s tiny, like you,” Alex replied. “You never complained about me being tiny before, Danvers,” was the snippy remark she got back, as their voices faded away.

 

Kara chuckled when she heard them teasing each other as they walked away, it had been a long time since they did that. She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. Lena saw and moved closer, wrapping her own arms around the blonde, “Are you alright?” Kara allowed herself to sink into the embrace, she shouldn’t, she knew that, but she couldn’t resist the pull the other woman had on her. “Just relieved that everyone is here, safe … And worried about the future. If Loran lets lose his entire army I’m not sure we have enough manpower to beat him.” 

 

Lena allowed a moment of silence, “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Kara nodded. She hoped Lena was right.

 

* * *

  
  
  


Alex sat on the bed in her quarters, waiting for Maggie to get out of the shower. Her palms were sweaty and her mouth was dry, the nerves getting the best of her. The shower was shut down and moments later Maggie walked out dressed in a robe, toweling her hair. The brunette looked at Alex, “That feels so much better.” She was feeling pretty great actually, Djinn’s healing taking away not only the visible injuries. The stiffness in her muscles had dissipated, so the only remnant of her captivity was the weight she’d lost. That would easily be fixed over time. 

 

Alex couldn’t help but stare as Maggie sat down next to her on the bed. She reached out for her hand. “I’m sorry,” she started, holding up her other hand to stop Maggie from interfering, “I need to get this out first. I haven’t been the same since the shooting, I know. And I haven’t been open enough about that. I just thought it would go away, that it just needed some time. But I was wrong. I needed to talk, to you, to the goddamn shrink … I see that now … I just hope it’s not too late.” Her eyes dropped down.

 

Maggie trailed a hand underneath her jaw, lifting her eyes back up, “I’m not without blame, Alex. Communication … It’s neither of our strong suit. I went out drinking instead of talking to you. So let’s just stop doing that, ok?” When she saw Alex nod, she moved a little closer, “But it’s never too late. When I was afraid to get into a relationship with you, it was because I didn’t want to be your first. Later on I realised I just wanted to be your only … That’s still true.” She blinked, realising there were tears sliding down her cheeks. 

 

Taking a shaky breath, Alex let her own tears run free, “Really?” she asked breathlessly. Maggie nodded, giving a watery smile. They moved together, inhaling when their lips touched. Maggie buried her fingers in red hair and pressed closer. Alex laid her hands on Maggie’s hips and guided her onto her lap, taking advantage of Maggie’s groan to slip her tongue inside her lover’s mouth. Her hands found the belt of the robe and untangled them, slipping her hands inside to meet bare skin. Maggie broke the kiss and moaned. She placed kisses from Alex’s jaw to her ear, “I missed you.” 

 

Alex held her by the waist and turned them, laying Maggie down in the middle of the bed. She crawled on top of her, spreading her frame on top of her naked body. “I missed you too, Maggie … So much.” Maggie pulled her back down into a kiss, her other hand slipping under Alex’ shirt.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The next day was calm. Djinn woke up in the med bay and returned to work quickly, training with the DEO troops and the remaining rebels. She didn’t go and see Lena, pretending to ignore the events of the day before. She did visit Linn and apologised for her behaviour. Linn filled her in on the pregnancy … Djinn was off-kilter for the rest of the day.

 

Lena spend most of the day at L-Corp, getting her best scientists to work on the schematics from the robots, to see if they could build more. Or at least fix the one they had, Winn by her side. 

 

Kara returned to superhero duty and checked in at CatCo, where James had covered for her with Snapper so she still had a job. He’d been patrolling the streets as Guardian in Supergirl’s absence. She got him up to speed, and the big man was relieved to hear that Maggie was safely back. James had been busy with the camera he’d gotten from Lena and had an expanded portfolio ready with pictures from the alien community, mostly from inside Haven. Kara would be publishing a series of articles to go with them. 

 

Alex and Maggie woke up in a tangled heap of naked limbs, blissfully happy but still rather tired after a night of little sleep. They brought NCPD into the loop about the possible invasion, Maggie being caught off-guard when her partner grabbed her in a bear hug the moment she walked into the precinct. “I’m fine Paco,” she said with a smile on her face. Paco let her go, a little embarrassed by his own actions and coughed, “Um … Good to see you safe Sawyer.” Maggie chuckled, deciding to let it slide for now. She’d tease him about it some other day. They headed back to the DEO to help prepare the troops. 

 

Maggie sought out Djinn and grabbed the tall woman in a hug. “Thank you,” she said simply, nothing more needed to be said as Djinn pulled her friend tightly against herself.

 

J’onn kept close tabs on the Noor ship, but nothing seemed to be moving. Loran’s ultimatum was still three days away and he seemed to be keeping it. Still, it didn’t hurt to be careful.  

 

When night fell, everyone decided to retire early, taking advantage of the peace and quiet. Who knew how long it would last. 

 

* * *

  
  
  


It was cold, this late in the night on top of the DEO building, but Djinn didn’t feel it. Her breath came out in white clouds. She stared into the distance, at the lights of the city she had come to see as her own. The fluttering of a cape broke her out of her thoughts and she looked up to see Supergirl land next to where she was sitting, her boots tapping lightly on the rooftop. “Couldn’t sleep?” Kara asked, sitting down with crossed legs, “I know I couldn’t … With the whole Independence Day thing going on.”

 

Djinn grinned, the movie Winn made them watch fresh on her mind. She sighed, somber, gazing back over the city. Kara just waited, she knew her friend would open up sooner or later. She always did.

 

When Djinn started talking, she did so in a soft voice, almost afraid of what she was about to say. Kara sat up straighter, as this was so unlike her friend that it worried her.

 

“We’ve named it ‘The Calling,’ though it is never openly spoken of. It is the moment that Noor can sense their death … In dreams, visions. They don’t tell exactly when or how. Only that their life is running to its end.” Djinn took a slow breath, “It’s so we can start putting our affairs in order, tie up any loose ends, you know. After a life of nearly five centuries … That can be quite helpful.”

 

Kara frowned, “Wait. Why are you telling me this … now? You’ve been having these dreams?” She gasped when Djinn nodded, “Why? When? Is it because of your brother? I’ll handle your brother … leave him to me. I’ll kick is Noor ass into the Phantom Zone,” Kara was rambling, but she didn’t care. 

 

Djinn looked at her and smiled, feeling oddly warm inside. So this is what having a true friend meant? Seeing her smile caused Kara to fall silent. “They started several weeks ago. No other Noor had set foot on Earth by then, so I doubt one has to do much with the other.” She turned and faced the other woman, “It’s ok, Kara. I’m not afraid to die.” She sighed, “I was, at first … I feared for Lena … But she will have you.” She reached for Kara’s hand and squeezed it. Kara dropped her head and wiped at a couple of silent tears sliding down her cheeks. 

 

“You know … There’s only one thing I regret.” Djinn’s eyes dropped, “In the time that I was a warlord, leading my father's armies, I murdered thousands, maybe millions of people. I’ve only just started to atone for that … And now the Maker won’t grant me more time.”

 

Kara couldn’t take it anymore and moved herself closer, wrapping Djinn in her arms. “I’m not going to just accept this.” Her voice was breaking, “Lena is kinda mad at you. You’ve been ignoring her, pushing her away. At least now I know why. You should tell her.”

 

Djinn sighed, “I will … I’m trying to make this less painful for her. But maybe I’m going about it wrong,” she paused, “There is still time. It is said that I have an ancestor who lived with the Calling for over a year before he finally fell in battle … But there is no escaping it. You need to realize that.” She felt Kara nod against her shoulder. 

 

They sat together in silence for a long time, staring at the city below. 

 

* * *

  
  


When Djinn entered the garage after leaving the rooftop, she wasn’t surprised to find Lena still working. Engine and robotic parts were scattered on the floor around Lena, who sat at a table focusing on the parts in front of her. Djinn sighed and moved around the table, taking the chair on the other side. Lena’s screwdriver stopped mid-turn as she looked up, her green eyes burning into blue. Djinn swallowed and glanced away, “We need to talk.”

 

“About what? How you’ve been a total twat these past days?” Lena accused, exhaustion making her accent more pronounced as her temper flared.

 

“I know. I want to apologize for that. There’s … stuff … and I’m not handling it well.”  

 

Lena arched an eyebrow but remained silent. She glared at Djinn, who fidgeted with her hands, something so out of character Lena began to dread what she was about to say. 

 

Djinn took a deep breath, “I’m dying, Lena. Or more like, I’m going to die in the very near future.” She looked up at Lena, saw her eyes widen, confusion written in them. “Noor can sense their end. It’s another one of our charming qualities.” She looked down at her folded hands on the table.

 

After a minute or two, Lena reached out, placing her hands on top of Djinn’s. She traced the scars on them with the tips of her fingers until the tall woman looked up. “So that's why you’ve been pushing me towards Kara. Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

“I tried to … But its hard.”

 

“I love you,” Lena interrupted, needing to tell Djinn that. 

 

“I know. But you also love Kara … and that’s ok. I’m relieved, in fact.” Djinn turned her hands underneath Lena’s and entwined their fingers. “Lets face it … if I hadn’t come along and Kara had finally gotten her head out of her ass … You’d be with her.”

 

Lena started to protest but a pointed look from Djinn shut that down. She sighed instead. “Kara’s my best friend. Not that long ago, I would’ve said my only friend. But she’s still a catalyst … Going further with her, entering a relationship with her … with the possibility of it going haywire. That scares me. I could lose everything. I’m not sure I’d survive that.” After 24 years of being alone, facing the world alone, Lena wasn’t sure she could go back to that.

 

“You sell yourself short. You’re more that just Kara’s friend … more than just another Luthor.” Djinn saw the pain in Lena’s eyes at that last part. “Everyone here believes in you, Kara most of all.”

 

Lena gave a small, sad smile, “So your future is set then? And you accept that? I’m not sure I can.”

 

Djinn nodded, “When the Maker calls, we join him. I’m not overly religious, so I won’t say we join him in the heavens, as the old prayers go … But it gives me some comfort. I’m not afraid. Neither should you be.” She squeezed Lena’s hand before standing, “And I know I leave my work here in good hands. The shelters … they will thrive.” She smiled, “Thank you, Lena … For making my life meaningful at the end.” With that, she left, leaving Lena staring after her in shock, not yet fully grasping what has taken place.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Please feed the author :)
> 
> From now on I can be found on TUMBLR: LightningSupernova. Hope to see you there!


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